Startup Weekend Little Rock announced its prize package on Thursday that includes a $1,000 first prize.
Startup Weekend makes its Arkansas debut beginning April 5 from the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock. Little Rock natives and serial entrepreneurs Max Farrell (son of Arkansas Business Publishing Group CEO Olivia Farrell) and Jordan Carlisle are organizing the event, which is featured in this week's edition of Arkansas Business.
Started in Seattle, Startup Weekend is a grassroots movement to build startups in cities around the world. The weekends entail entrepreneurs gathering to pitch ideas and teams forming organically around the best ideas. Those teams then pitch their idea to a group of local entrepreneurial leaders.
In three years, Startup Weekend has grown to more than 400 events in more than 100 countries. About 36 percent of the startup ventures it hatches are still operational.
In Little Rock, the first-place winner will receive $1,000 for startup expenses; three hours of legal counseling from Jamie Fugitt of Williams & Anderson, who blogs as the Startup lawyer for Innovate Arkansas; one and a half hours of business consulting with Grey Williams of Dextera Corp., and a one-year, gold subscription to TeamTreehouse.com.
The second-place team will receive $500, two hours with Fugitt, one and a half hours of intellectual property advice with Stan Baker (The IP Lawyer) of Kutak Rock, and a one-year, silver subscription to TeamTreehouse.
Third place gets $250, an hour with Fugitt, one and a half hours with Watt Gregory of Kutak Rock, and fourth place will receive $100 and 90 minutes with Jim Smith of Smith Hurst.
Prizes have not yet been determined for fifth place. All participants will receive free meals and snacks, access to some of the state's best business mentors, a $100 Amazon web services credit voucher and a free 12-month .co domain registration.
The event begins Friday, April 5, at 6 p.m. and runs through Sunday, April 7, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $50 and $75 and can be purchased here.
