Planting the Seeds of the Triangle Ed Tech Community

A Preview of Triangle Startup Weekend EDU

BY MITAL PATEL • @mitalpatel • 3.5.13
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Filed Under: NEWS: Startups

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the upcoming Triangle Startup Weekend EDU has to spur innovation in the education space. Since then, we've had an exciting mix of educators and entrepreneurs sign up to participate in Triangle Startup Weekend EDU this weekend at HUB Raleigh.

They'll spend 54 hours pitching ideas, forming teams and, most importantly, building what could be the next big thing in Ed Tech. They'll be joined by expert coaches to help them and have an endless supply of caffiene and food to fuel their work.

I've helped organize two Triangle Startup Weekends before, but this will be the Triangle's first Startup Weekend focused on education. I have no idea exactly what will come of it, but I'm excited because I think this weekend can be the beginning of a lasting movement to spark our local Ed Tech community.

Joining an International Movement


The Triangle has a unique blend and density of world class universities and a highly educated population, but we're not alone in our struggles to reform our education system. The need for reform in education is well documented and universal. This weekend, the Triangle will join an international community of entrepreneurs and educators working together to change the institution of education and learning as we know it.

There have been education focused startup weekends hosted all across the world, including in Delhi, London, Northern Virginia, NYC, San Francisco, and Seattle. At the recent SW EDU in London, a team launched Musomic, startup that designs and creates graphic novels with music to help children with literacy. In Northern Virginia, a team created Pigeon, a tool that simplifies communication between English-speaking teachers and non-English-speaking parents.

Anyone and Everyone


One of my favorite things about Startup Weekend is its unique ability to democratize entrepreneurship. For one weekend, everyone can participate, regardless of age, gender, race and background. Committing for 54 hours is a lot less risky than quitting your day job.

And that's important, because we all have a shared desire to see our education system become more effective. Whether you're a parent, a student, or an interested member of the community, there's an important role for you to play at Triangle Startup Weekend EDU. It's that diversity of background, experience, and opinion that makes for the most effective approach and customer validation for the teams.

Lasting impact


In addition to launching companies, participants walk away with new skills and an understanding and passion for innovating education. Educators walk away with an entrepreneurial mindset they can take to their classrooms and schools. Entrepreneurs walk away with an understanding of the types of problems our educators face and the inspiration to continue working to solve those problems.

If you haven't signed up, we have a few slots left. You can find more information and register on the Triangle Startup Weekend website.

Companies We Mentioned In This Post

HQ Raleigh
Triangle Startup Weekend







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