Learn how to start a new business … in 54 hours

A 54-hour “pressure cooker” programme will take aspiring entrepreneurs from an idea to a potential business during the first Marlborough Startup Weekend.

The three-day programme, which will be held for the first time in Marlborough next month, started in the United States 15 years ago. It allows participants to develop and pitch business ideas to a panel of experienced judges.

Startup Weekend Marlborough project manager Tracey Green said the event was aimed at people interested in business generally or with creative ideas, and who would like to expand their skills and knowledge.

“There is a lot of talent in Marlborough, but sometimes people need a bit of a steer in a fun environment on how to go about getting things started.

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Green said the weekend was a “54-hour pressure cooker”.

“It will give an insight into the sort of things that people need to think about, work on, and build when starting up a business.

“It’s a really strong self-development experience for people.”

Held for the first time in the region, the weekend is organised jointly between Business Trust Marlborough and Marlborough District Council.

The council’s economic development programmes manager Mark Unwin said the event was a key part of their economic wellbeing strategy.

He said the average number of businesses startups over the last 12 months, divided by the average number of active businesses, across the country’s regional councils was 2.04%. In Marlborough it was 1.69%, which put the region at the bottom of the table.

“Universally, new businesses are a great driver of economic growth, they create investment, jobs, and innovation,” he said.

“We have got a good amount of primary industry, lots of opportunity for innovation and technology, and we do have a good ecosystem for businesses when they start up, with the Angel investment network, Marlborough Business Trust, the Chamber of Commerce …

“What we are missing is that piece for people to see that there are businesses starting up here.”

During the Startup Weekend, participants form teams around a business idea on Friday evening, and advance it as much as possible over the whole weekend before a Dragons’ Den style pitch on the Sunday night.

Dragons’ Den is a BBC programme where competitors get three minutes to pitch their business ideas to five multimillionaires who are willing to invest their own cash to kick-start the business.

Business Trust Marlborough manager Brian Dawson said the event was about education, not competition.

“There may be some brilliant ideas over the weekend where businesses do form, but that’s not the goal at all.

“The goal is actually to educate people about how you might get an idea, form a team, and quickly move a business opportunity along to either discover that it’s got some validity or discover that, in fact, it’s not good at all, and would fail fast.

“It’s about fostering entrepreneurship and forming a community of people that might be interested in setting up businesses at some stage.”

Open to anyone over 16-years-old in any sector, Startup Weekend Marlborough is facilitated by Angus Pauley of Startup Dunedin.

The mentors will come from Business Mentors NZ through Business Trust Marlborough and the judging will be done by Angel Investors Marlborough.

Startup Weekend Marlborough starts on June 17. Tickets are available on eventbrite.co.nz.