Startupweekend Progress.
It has been a busy weekend down here in Nairobi Kenya. On Day two of Startup Weekend, with a lot of feedback from those who could not make it to the event but tuned in to the live stream we have 13 teams out of the 15 that were shortlisted.
- Cloud Governor – A matatu (public transit) management and low enforcement application- Team on 9
- Inuka – Entrepreneurship platform with a team of 20
- Pesa Rahisi – An online /mobile payment money transfer system that is cross platform. A team of 6
- Tusemezane – A 2 way SMS platform for election communication with a team of 9
- Mobilab – A platform to verify documents that include certificates, references, land title deeds etc with a team of 4
- Christian Dating site with a difference - Dating site for christians with a team of 2
- Masomo Moja - Making education affordable and available for teachers, students and parents with a team of 7
- Jiamulie – Traffic prevention solution with features of crime reporting and information sourcng. Team, 2
- Team 96/ Patahao – Easy way to build/buy/rent houses according to your needs with a team of 6
- Success solutions – Advertisement space with a team of 7
- Paramedic – Patent status data capture and sharing tool with a team of 12
- iBambe – Facebook/mobile web for sharing playlists. Team, 5
- Darasani – Tutor support system
We will keep you posted on the progress as we go.
Thanks for staying tuned! 
Ideas Galore at Startup Weekend Nairobi
So far, it’s been an exciting night at the Nailab, with possibly one hundred people in attendance at the first Startup Weekend in Kenya. After several 60 second pitches, voting commenced. The top idea was Paramedic with 28votes. Paramedic is a mobile app that connects doctors to paramedics such that paramedics can update a patient’s information in the ambulance in preparation for arrival at the hospital. Once at the hospital, the doctors can easily download this information and cater for the patients faster. The rest of the ideas that will be worked on during this weekend and the votes they received are as follows:
✓13 IBambe
✓13 Pay rent
✓13 Traffic crimes
✓14 Campo-Moja
✓14 Cloud Governor
✓14 SMS for election
✓15 Team Darasani
✓15 Team 96 interactive
✓15 Risper Okello
✓16 Jenga Kijiji
✓16 Elizabeth Kiragu
✓19 Matatu – passengers have a say
✓24 Pesa-Rahisi
✓26 Entrepreneur sharing platform.
✓28 Paramedic
Stay tuned for more updates as the days go by 
Startup Weekend Nairobi: Helpful Hints
So TOMORROW marks the first day of Startup Weekend..I am sure that you are totally stoked for it . We decided to answer some of the questions that you may have regarding the event…feel free to drop us a line in case you need any more information.
Where is the Nailab?
Nailab is located on the 4th floor of Bishop Magua Center, directly opposite Uchumi Hyper, Ngong Road. From Town, you can board any matatu/bus heading to Ngong Road and it’s nearly impossible to miss it.
Go to http://g.co/maps/ybuaa to see the Google map directions to Nailab.
What time does the event Start?
The event starts on Friday, 24th Feb at 4:30 PM.
What Should I Bring to the Event?
- Laptop
- Business cards
- Something to take notes on
- LOTS of energy
What’s the format of the Pitches on Friday?
Pitches on Friday night are in a “pitch-fire” format, which means you will have just 60 seconds to get the audience interested in your idea. You will have no slides or props – just a microphone and a smile. You won’t have time to go over features, so just focus on the core of the idea and make your enthusiasm contagious. Here is the format for pitches that we recommend:
- Who are you and what is your background? (5-10 Seconds)
- What is the problem that you product is solving? Or, begin with a story (10-20 Seconds)
- Explain the product and how it solves the problem (10-20 seconds)
- Who do you need on your team (a developer, marketing, designer?) (5-10 seconds)
- Finally, make up a name for your startup so the facilitator can give it a title
Voting & Forming Teams
After pitches, you will have more time to mingle. If you pitched an idea, this is your time to start recruiting others that are interested in your idea. If you did not pitch, or if you are having trouble finding others to join your team, use this time to seek out those that pitched other ideas that you found interesting.
Next, the crowd votes on their favorite pitches. This is a simply a way to encourage quick team forming. This is by no means an exclusive process and if you pitch an idea and it is not voted as one of the top ideas, you are more than welcome to work on it if you find some other people who want to work on the idea with you. From there we will form teams and these are the startup ideas that will be worked on over the weekend.
5 Reasons why YOU should attend Startup Weekend Nairobi
Ok, you’ve been hearing a lot about Startup Weekend lately…But maybe you aren’t still convinced as to WHY you should come…What’s in it for me, you ask? Well, allow me:
- Education: Startup Weekends are all about learning. At Startup Weekend Nairobi, you will get a chance to learn a new skill, programming or business language. Even more cool, your mindset and approach to life and business will change.
- Enlarged network: Many other likeminded entrepreneurs will be attending this weekend. So it’s a safe bet that you will interact with other driven entrepreneurs who may be able to offer something new to your business, or in turn, give you the opportunity to offer them something in return.
- Learn how to launch a business: You’ve probably been sitting on your business idea for so long, and wondering how to move it to the next level. Usually, Startup Weekend focuses on techies. But at Startup Weekend Nairobi, we have opened it up to entrepreneurs in a variety of fields- IT, agribusiness, communications, science & technology. Remember that many business problems have a potential technology solution. During this weekend, you will have 54 hours to revolutionize your idea and move it to the next level… why would you want to miss that?
- Get face time with local and international mentors: No one is in a better position to help you than entrepreneurs who have tried (and sometimes failed) different business ventures. These are the kind of people that we are bringing to you during Startup Weekend Nairobi. The mentors, speakers, volunteers and judges that we have are seasoned entrepreneurs who will offer you invaluable advice and insight, something that you would probably have to pay heftily for at any other forum.
- Get access to valuable start-up resources: The winning teams will not only get a cash prize, but also incubation in some of the top business incubators in Nairobi. A business incubator will offer you business support, helpful seminars and workshops, office space, & free internet access and a chance to interact with potential investors.
If you are still not convinced by now, rest assured that you’ll be missing out on a lot.. Grab your ticket NOW…don’t miss out on the chance of a lifetime.
Exciting Volunteers Coming in For Startup Weekend Nairobi
To make Startup Weekend Nairobi even MORE informative, interactive and beneficial to you, we are having volunteers coming in from Denmark. These are individuals who have a lot of experience, expertise and knowledge to share with entrepreneurs like YOU. One weekend with them might just be what the doctor prescribed for your business idea.
A little more about them:
Anders Skovsgaard
Anders founded his first IT company in 1997 when he was 13 years old.
Since then, he has been an entrepreneur, working in many different areas- web/application programming, web/mail/DNS hosting and vulnerability testing.
Currently, he runs the company Hackavoid.com, which provides automated web security scanning.
He has a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and is currently completing a PhD in the Data-Intensive Systems group at Aarhus University, Denmark.
Brian Kyed
Brian is 23 years old and is from Denmark. He started his first company 3 years ago with 2 others individuals and has been living off of it since then.
His company, Moving Monday ApS, does speed drawings and simple animations for all sorts of companies. He likes to make complex issues into simple and beautiful videos that are understandable to everyone.
Sebastian BrandesKraaijenzank
Sebastian has worked with web & mobile development for more than 10 years. He has experience in the e-commerce industry where he has been running his own startup.
His core competences are development/programming as well as management of developers and creation of strategic partnerships in the software world.
Wilken Bruns
Wilken is the COO of the Berlin Entrepreneurs Club.
He grew up in Africa and could not miss the chance to be a part of Startup Weekend Nairobi.
Thomas Fogt
Thomas Fogt, 25 years old, from Aarhus Denmark. He has a Masters in “Startup” as a result of being a fulltime entrepreneur for 5+ years. In 2006 he bought an online based company selling geeky computer components and sold it off to a competitor in 2010. He also won several companies in Denmark and Sweden with his current startup being CrossBag – the best transportable functional fitness solution as a cool bag pack.
He is also the Vice Mayor of the entrepreneurial house , Startup City in Aarhus, Denmark. He has participated in Startup Weekend 2 times before and was the pitch winner sponsor at SW Aarhus in November 2010 and gave a team and entrepreneur pep talk at the vent.
Thomas is specialised in online optimization, spreading good energy. He loves travelling , funky T-shirts , training and making awesome new friends – especially at SW Nairobi
