StartupBus encourages entrepreneurs to jump on a bus and conceive, build, and launch a startup with a team of strangers in 72 hours. For the sixth year in a row, the StartupBus will be hitting North America. The competition will take place the first week of June 2015, with buses originating from 6 different regions around the continent gathering in Nashville for an epic competition.
“StartupBus is an annual competition that takes 30 participants (or Buspreneurs), loads them onto a bus, they work on creating an actual startup as we travel for three days to a technology focused conference,” said Bill Brister, North America StartupBus Board Member. “Five to six other buses from around the U.S. all meet at the conference and every startup that is developed on the buses pitch to a panel of investors. Only one concept will win. It’s winner take all. The goal of the event is to create a huge global network of passionate entrepreneurs – and challenge them to really focus on building something amazing in three days.”
Founded in 2010, StartupBus is building an entrepreneurial ecosystem through unique experiences and inspirational connections. A community run organization, the underlying vision to all activities is to empower the people that create change in the world and disrupt the status quo.
Brister says the StartupBus is a pressure cooker of innovation and participants can expect to be surrounded by the top hackers, hustlers, and hipsters in the world.
“StartupBus accelerates the learning curve, while at the same time it builds a network of like minded, driven individuals,” he said. “We put a ton of pressure on everyone riding the bus and through that pressure we discover solutions and work through complex situations together. What is unique about the StartupBus is we test a well rounded, set of skills in everyone involved that is not available in any other format. To be successful, you have to be able to quickly build relationships and trust, be persuasive, overcome technical and interpersonal obstacles. There is nowhere to go if you disagree with someone – you learn to work it out.”
This year, Buspreneurs will be making a stop in Las Vegas at The Innevation Center on June 4, 2015. The StartupBus team invites everyone in the Vegas Tech community to come meet the teams from 4:00pm – 8:00pm.
Brister says he hopes Vegas Tech community members come to the event to help motivate and inspire this group of strangers who just met and are now starting to build actual companies.
“When we arrive at The Innevation Center we will have been on the bus for around 12 hours,” Brister explains. “By then, we should have our teams and projects selected and a shell of a pitch. We will spend some time unwinding and networking with the tech community in Las Vegas and then we’ll have a panel of innovators listen to our ideas and how we plan to pitch. The feedback from the panel will help each team with direction, message, overall understanding of the concept.”
Las Vegas locals are invited to participate as Buspreneurs to experience what Brister calls an amazing and life changing event.
“Our bus departs San Francisco on June 4, 2015 around 5am,” he said. “Vegas Tech community members can go online to register and use the code “VegasTech” when applying. Anyone using that code will be contacted by myself within 24 hours for an interview. We leave on June 4th and arrive in Nashville sometime on June 7th. The competition kicks off on June 8th.”
