Tech/media/blockchain/wellbeing startup counselor, operator & evangelist with special focus on strategic growth, ramping potency of mission and execution while empowering and advancing talent. Inspired by challenge, the power of change, and technology for a greater good.
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Techstars Startup Weekend SF - Blockchain for Good
Friday, October 25 - 27, 2019
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Get the latest on Techstars Startup Weekend, San Francisco, and other local events through Techstars Startup Digest.
Techstars Startup Weekend SF - Blockchain for Good
Friday, October 25 - 27, 2019
Friday, October 25 - 27, 2019
Event starts at 6:30 pm
Holberton School
972 Mission St
San Francisco,
CA
94103
Buy Tickets
Blockchain for Good
Do you have an idea you'd like to pursue or a problem you'd like to solve but don't know where to start or who to start with?
Techstars Startup Weekend is the place to look for a team, create a prototype of your idea, validate your business idea, and receive feedback from experienced entrepreneurs, all in one weekend.
What do you need to bring?
Lots of energy! You'll pitch your own idea or listen to others, then vote on the most interesting ideas and form teams with diverse skill sets. You can come with friends, but you’ll get the full experience if you participate in separate teams. Remember, it’s all about the team.
Your idea should be something you have not previously worked on. The idea you pitch and the problem you set out to solve can span social, educational, financial, environmental, or other issues. Over the course of the weekend you'll be challenged to create a prototype of your MVP, or minimum viable product, that fits the needs of your target customer. You'll get feedback, iterate, and likely pivot your approach entirely! Important: You cannot have worked previously on your idea.
Techstars Startup Weekend is a full weekend-long experience. Your ticket includes:
- Benefits and discounts from our global partners
- One-on-one time with amazing mentors
- A new network of developers, designers, and entrepreneurs eager, like you, to change the world.
- All the internet and coffee you can consume.
- Access to Paystand's blockchain platform
- 30 minutes office hours session from Polyient Labs
- 7 meals covered
Watch the video below to see what you can expect, and if you’re feeling inspired, click on the “Buy Ticket” button now!
Still have questions? Feel free to reach us at “sanfrancisco@startupweekend.org”.
Don’t wait any longer and join the Techstars Startup Weekend movement!
No talk, all action!
1st Place -
Founder Institute
3 hours of coaching from Polyient Labs Incubator
3 hours of consulting from Penrose Partners
6 months subscription to Blockset by BRD
6 months of direct access to BRD's C-suite and product leadership
Secret prize from Ripple
1 hour free blockchain business and use case design from B4SJ
1 hour free personal development session with Resilient Wellness
2nd Place -
2 hours of consulting from Penrose Partners
90 minutes of coaching for Polyient Labs incubator
1 hour free blockchain business and use case design from B4SJ
3rd Place -
1 hour of consulting from Penrose Partners
90 minutes of coaching for Polyient Labs incubator
1 hour free personal development session with Resilient Wellness
1st Place -
Founder Institute
3 hours of coaching from Polyient Labs Incubator
3 hours of consulting from Penrose Partners
6 months subscription to Blockset by BRD
6 months of direct access to BRD's C-suite and product leadership
Secret prize from Ripple
1 hour free blockchain business and use case design from B4SJ
1 hour free personal development session with Resilient Wellness
2nd Place -
2 hours of consulting from Penrose Partners
90 minutes of coaching for Polyient Labs incubator
1 hour free blockchain business and use case design from B4SJ
3rd Place -
1 hour of consulting from Penrose Partners
90 minutes of coaching for Polyient Labs incubator
1 hour free personal development session with Resilient Wellness
EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday October 25th
6:30 pm
Registration
Arrive at the venue and get checked in
7:00 pm
Dinner & Networking
Eat food, share ideas, practice pitches, get to know fellow participants
7:20 pm
Welcome & Speakers
Review agenda for the weekend and introduce speakers, coaches, and community leaders
7:30 pm
Pitches Start
Optionally line up to give your pitch
9:00 pm
Voting
Attendees vote for the top pitches
9:15 pm
Form Teams
Teams start forming and discussing ideas
10:00 pm
Begin Work
Start to formalize teams and take an inventory of skills. Be honest, and direct about what resources and skills are needed for the weekend. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow
Saturday October 26th
9:00 am
Breakfast
Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
9:30 am
Begin Work
Teams formed and setting up workspace for the weekend
12:00 pm
Lunch
1:00 pm
Check-In
After-lunch check-in, status reports, call for help
2:00 pm
Coach Meetings
Coaches help teams one-on-one. They are here to help!
6:30 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm
Check-In
After-dinner check-in, status reports, call for help
10:00 pm
Wrap-Up
Finished for the day. You may stay and work as late as the venue will allow
Sunday October 27th
9:00 am
Breakfast
Arrive, simple breakfast & coffee
10:30 am
Check-In
Coaches arrive. Final opportunity to ask questions
12:00 pm
Lunch
12:30 pm
Coach Meetings
Coaches arrive… ASK QUESTIONS
3:00 pm
Presentation Prep & Tech Check
Final hours of worktime should be focused on perfecting your presentation, tech-check for final presentations also takes place
4:30 pm
Final Presentations
7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm
Judging & Awards
8:30 pm
Wrap-Up
9:00 pm
Go Home!
Event Judges
Wade Bitaraf
Founder, Energy and Sustainability
Wade is the founder and director of Plug and Play Energy & Sustainability, building the largest global corporate innovation center and most active early stage investor in the energy sector. He works closely with entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and investors with a focus on the energy industry value chain.
Previously, Wade led Business Development efforts in renewable energy companies and online communication platform startup in Silicon Valley.
Wade holds a master degree in Chemical Engineering and a master degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas engineering. His passion is at the intersection of technology and business.
Caterina Rindi
Blockchain Educator, Consultant, Public Speaker
Caterina has been involved in the P2P, blockchain, and open-source ecosystem since late 2013, educating and introducing non-technical audiences to cryptocurrencies and the underlying blockchain protocol.
She works with startups and fintech companies, as well as non-profits and clients in industries ranging from collaborative economies, consumer products, governance, and healthcare.
She is an international consultant and multilingual speaker, traveling frequently between Europe and the United States.
Past speaking events and conferences include TEDxGhent, SXSW, Institute for the Future, University of Tokyo, Health 2.0, Inside Bitcoins, OuiShare Fest, and Stanford University.
She works with startups and fintech companies, as well as non-profits and clients in industries ranging from collaborative economies, consumer products, governance, and healthcare.
She is an international consultant and multilingual speaker, traveling frequently between Europe and the United States.
Past speaking events and conferences include TEDxGhent, SXSW, Institute for the Future, University of Tokyo, Health 2.0, Inside Bitcoins, OuiShare Fest, and Stanford University.
Adam Shapiro
Founder
Adam Shapiro has been in the IT industry since 2000, co-founding pilotfish digital, a software house specialising in SharePoint development and then AutoCollect in 2014
Adam has been a member of the Entrepreneurs Organization for 6 years and is currently on the Cape Town Board running the GSEA competition.
Adam has been a member of the Entrepreneurs Organization for 6 years and is currently on the Cape Town Board running the GSEA competition.
Coaches and Mentors
Nick Casares
Director of Product at Polyient Labs
I help companies uncover new opportunities in product strategy and design. With a decade of experience in digital design for B2C and B2B I can help product teams win.
I'm a strong strategic thinker with equal parts creativity and technologist. Over the course of my career, I've helped teams with:
- Understanding the market opportunity for digital products and services
- Working with executive teams to ensure product design goals align with business outcomes
- Guiding the product design strategy from ideation through go to market
- Collaborating with teams to foster great processes and effective work habits
I'm an analytical person that maintains calm under pressure. My colleagues would say that I'm one of the most organized people they've ever met.
I'm a strong strategic thinker with equal parts creativity and technologist. Over the course of my career, I've helped teams with:
- Understanding the market opportunity for digital products and services
- Working with executive teams to ensure product design goals align with business outcomes
- Guiding the product design strategy from ideation through go to market
- Collaborating with teams to foster great processes and effective work habits
I'm an analytical person that maintains calm under pressure. My colleagues would say that I'm one of the most organized people they've ever met.
Rakesh Patwari
Lead UX Designer
Rakesh Patwari is a passionately curious digital product designer, currently a lead designer Salesforce and teaches design at UC Berkeley Ext.
Born to teacher parents in a small town near Hyderabad, South India, Rakesh was on track to be an engineer. However, things changed when he was introduced to Photoshop. It was love at first sight, learning one tool led to the other and soon enough his curiosity coupled with grit made him an autodidact designer and he metamorphosed from a ‘programmer with design chops’ to a ‘Designer who understands tech.’.
Born to teacher parents in a small town near Hyderabad, South India, Rakesh was on track to be an engineer. However, things changed when he was introduced to Photoshop. It was love at first sight, learning one tool led to the other and soon enough his curiosity coupled with grit made him an autodidact designer and he metamorphosed from a ‘programmer with design chops’ to a ‘Designer who understands tech.’.
In his 18 years long career he worked at product companies, start-ups and consulting organizations alike across diverse and challenging technical problem spaces where he designed and shipped flagship products. Apple, Linkedin, Juniper Networks and Survey Monkey are some of the companies he worked with or consulted for.
His experience, love for design, and his passionate curiosity motivate him to tackle complex challenges and enables him to be effective both at strategic and tactical levels.
Lynn Hoang
Co-founder
Lynn Hoang is an initiator/founder of BlockchainShapers, a community hub for blockchain/crypto builders to discover, connect and collaborate. Previously, Lynn was COO at Remitano, the largest P2P crypto exchange in Vietnam/Malaysia/Nigeria, and Project Director at Infinity Blockchain Labs, one of the largest R&D blockchain labs in South East Asia.
Lynn holds a B.S. degree in Finance/Accounting from San Francisco State University, M.B. A from Golden Gate University. Lynn is also a self-taught programmer, film producer, writer, speaker, mentor, and community builder. Lynn has been working with Seedstars, Techstars, Product School, DevNetwork, Y-Combinator Startup School, Vietnam Innovation Network, and is an active member of cryptocurrency certification consortium.
Cory Roberson
Founder
"Serving the Investment community to make a social impact"
Currently, Cory is principal of FIN Compliance (FinCompliance.io) is a consortium of services including: RIA Consults-Roberson Consults Group, a compliance consulting firm, RIA Review, a compliance-management software tool, B-D Review, a compliance management tool, and FIN Lancer, a Business/Client Management tool (coming in 2019), FIN Ventures business consulting and strategy, and FIN Missions, our volunteer based entity. Blog: www.mycomplianceblog.com.
Over a span of 15 years, Cory volunteered with three church ministries in the bay area and Los Angeles. As a part of FIN Missions, Cory holds business support group sessions and, in the past, volunteered for mission-related programs in California, as well as abroad S. Korea, China, S. Africa, Thailand, Peru and India. Cory, as a part of his missions-driven arm is on a quest to support bringing 500 ideas to fruition. He has held vision workshops for student groups in support of his book, “From Student to Entrepreneur: Making the Transition to Business.” He is a design strategist with a passion creating a space for innovation, ministry, creativity, and business.
Eden Kfir
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer
Built and launched a microcredit company in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia to increase financial inclusion for the unbanked using alternative credit risk analysis. She has prior investment experience with start-ups and emerging technologies at Acumen Fund and Citi.
Marc Liberati
Policy Specialist
I am currently serving with UNV as a Policy Specialist and also was involved in the UNV Digital Transformation working group on frontier technologies – smart contracting, artificial intelligence, blockchain and big data.
UNV seeks to transform itself to become the main global volunteer organization for international peace and development for all organizations of the United Nations mandated activities. This includes increasing onsite volunteer opportunities and expanding online volunteer services in furtherance of the global sustainable development goals.
UNV seeks to transform itself to become the main global volunteer organization for international peace and development for all organizations of the United Nations mandated activities. This includes increasing onsite volunteer opportunities and expanding online volunteer services in furtherance of the global sustainable development goals.
Kerem Kolcuoglu
Partner / CMO (Two Companies)
Kerem is an MBA and Partner at Penrose Partners, a blockchain focused
consulting firm advising startups, enterprises and investors on navigating the
blockchain and digital assets space.
Kerem is also the CMO of Mantle Technology, one of the most dynamic
blockchain-based solutions in the market, highlighted by it's infrastructure
agnosticism and ease of adoption for enterprise.
Kerem pursues the understanding of how emerging technologies will change
the way we transact, trade, communicate and work. He has focused his
work on harnessing the power of blockchain technology to help large-scale enterprises uncover opportunities and gain a first-mover's advantage.
Previously at PricewaterhouseCoopers and at MLG Blockchain, he has
consulted multinational enterprises, governments and educational
institutions on understanding and adopting blockchain technology. Bridging
his experience in multiple industries, he has foreseen change and advised
clients on how to navigate digital transformation in an age of disruption.
Abdul Omira
CTO
Robotics and Physics researcher interested in AI and advanced power generation systems. Focused on improving efficiency and output in multiple forms of genertation technologies, including renewable, thermal, and chemical. Owner of four patents in nuclear waste processing, disposal, and solar power systems with developing projects in medical and other commercial robotic applications.
Ian Moloney
Policy Analyst
Ian is an Policy Analyst for the U.S. Government Accountability Office in their Financial Markets and Community Investment team. He has worked on a number of fintech and blockchain related projects in this position. Prior to GAO, Ian received his MBA from Johns Hopkins University. Ian is passionate about using innovation to make social and economic impacts. He looks forward to helping all innovators with their strategies and understanding the market and non-market forces related to fintech and blockchain. All views shared while coaching or mentoring are Ian's own views and do not reflect the views of the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Philip Balliet
Head of Design
As a Product Strategist and Designer, Phil is a serial entrepreneur with multiple start-ups, exits, and has helped raise more than $75 Million. He has led design at several mission-driven Seed, Series A, and B companies, predominately in the fin-tech and ed-tech space. He advises several startups throughout the Bay Area, and in his spare time enjoys philosophy and the great outdoors.
Event Sponsors, and Partners
The Techstars Startup Weekend SF - Blockchain for Good team is grateful for the support of local community partners without whom this event would not be possible.
Learn how to become a sponsor here.
Signature Sponsors
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Organizing Team
Techstars Startup Weekend San Francisco is 100% led by volunteer community leaders.
Learn how to get involved here
Facilitators
Kris Riley
Director of Partners
Just another entrepreneur trying to take over the world one idea at a time.
Kris has 3+ years experience organizing Startup Weekend events. His expertise is in payments, e-commerce, hospitality technology, product strategy, and positioning. He's started 2 businesses and is working on his 3rd currently.
I love the startup world and mentoring/helping people mold their ideas into MVPs and eventually into validated businesses. The magic is in helping them realize that an idea needs legs to grow. And these legs are built out of involvement, sharing and doing. Let's go!
Kris has 3+ years experience organizing Startup Weekend events. His expertise is in payments, e-commerce, hospitality technology, product strategy, and positioning. He's started 2 businesses and is working on his 3rd currently.
I love the startup world and mentoring/helping people mold their ideas into MVPs and eventually into validated businesses. The magic is in helping them realize that an idea needs legs to grow. And these legs are built out of involvement, sharing and doing. Let's go!
Event Blog
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