Google to sponsor Startup Weekend

Google has forged a partnership with Startup Weekend, promising start-up creation events in new cities and the worldwide rollout of developer workshops.

Startup Weekend, founded in 2007 by Andrew Hyde, holds start-up creation events over 54-hour periods, during which time entrepreneurs gather together, swap their ideas and launch a product.

Now Google has agreed to support Startup Weekend through a global partnership, enabling the expansion of Startup Weekend’s current operations, which spans 200 cities across six continents.

Startup Weekend has held events in both Sydney and Melbourne, with plans to hold one in Perth.

According to Startup Weekend spokesperson Joe Pomerenke, the partnership involves some form of sponsorship, referring to the figure only as a “significant amount of capital”.

Mary Himinkool, Google head of global entrepreneurship outreach, said in a company blog the partnership will enable Startup Weekend to expand to dozens of new cities around the world.

“[It will also enable the launch of] new vertical competitions focused on specific themes such as education, health or gaming,” Himinkool wrote.

According to Himinkool, the alliance will also facilitate the worldwide rollout of pre-Startup Weekend Google developer workshops.

Workshops are already scheduled in Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Dallas, London, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo.

“We’ll be working to bring in Google’s developer community in the form of Google Technology User Groups as an additional resource to Startup Weekend participants,” Himinkool wrote.

“Started in early 2008, there are now more than 280 GTUGs in 86 countries that bring tech enthusiasts together via hundreds of events each month.”

“GTUG members will receive discounted registration for Startup Weekend events and will help run pre-weekend local boot camps on Google’s developer platforms and tools.”

According to Startup Weekend, these boot camps are designed to help attendees develop their technical skills so they can “jump head-first” into their Startup Weekend project.

“These boot camps [will be rolled out] all over the world. Google and Startup Weekend will help provide content, curricula and resources to the local organisers of the boot camps,” it says.

Google says it will begin rolling out its product training and community events at Startup Weekends in the coming weeks and months.

Earlier this week, the Startup Weekend EDU series received a $250,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The EDU vertical within Startup Weekend is purely focused on education. It was officially launched in September, kicking off with three events in the US over the past month.