Kendal Blust
This Friday through Sunday, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, storytellers and anyone with an innovative idea to improve their community is invited to Startup Weekend Sustainability Nogales.
“To truly come together and take an idea and, with a diverse set of people, launch off something that could potentially have real impact for the area," said Stephanie Bermudez, adding: “It’s the only binational event in all of the Techstar Startup Weekends that exist all over the world.”
Bermudez is founder of Nogales-based Startup Unidos and a lead organizer and facilitator for TechStars USA and Latin America.
The Nogales event is binational and bilingual, with participants, mentors and judges from across both Arizona and Sonora, Bermudez said. And people with diverse areas of expertise, backgrounds and ages are welcome to attend the three-day event, which begins Friday evening at the Nogales, Sonora Museum of Art.
It starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday and ends at 7 p.m Sunday. Over the course of three days, entrepreneurs will pitch ideas, and work in teams develop business plans and prototypes that will be presented to judges Sunday.
This year, Bermudez said, local artists will also work with participants and host a live art demonstration during the event. And a comedy group will perform and work with participants as speech coaches.
"We're taking it to the next level, looking at creativity a little bit differently," Bermudez said. "I can already see the magic working between those of us who work in the startup space and those who are artists."
Participation in the startup weekend costs about $35 for professionals and about $10 for students, which includes coaching during the event, a T-shirt and meals. Scholarships are also available up through the start of the event Friday evening.
“I’ll help you break down any barriers so that you can make it to the event," Bermudez said. "We want you there."
For more information, visit techstars.com or email Bermudez at sb@startupunidos.com.
