Events

Experiencing the thrill of Techstars Startup Weekend
By Jason Garland

February of 2024, the School of Business partnered with InnovatePGH to host the region’s first-ever Techstars Startup Weekend. My team, along with seven other startups, had the opportunity to immerse ourselves into the life of startup founders. During this three-day, 54-hour intensive event, we went from creating an idea and designing the product to pitching directly to accredited venture capitalists and serial entrepreneurs.

This was the first time I experienced a competition of this caliber. As a freshman at Duquesne, triple majoring in finance, accounting, and

entrepreneurship, my schedule was already jam-packed when I was asked by Staci Offutt, Director of the Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship, to participate in a weekend-long business workshop. I admit, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was getting into.  

Upon arriving, I was shocked to see over 100 people, including students from Pitt, CMU, Grove City, Cornell, and local entrepreneurs and innovators. To my surprise, Techstars Startup Weekend wasn’t just another event held at Duquesne. It is an internationally recognized competition with many success stories resulting from years of Techstars programs—with 20 participating companies growing to $1B+ evaluations.

The objective of Techstars Startup Weekend was simple—individuals give a one-minute presentation on a new business idea. The ideas must be newly developed without any work prior to the presentation. Then, the audience voted for the best ideas. The top eight were chosen, and teams were formed around these concepts.

I worked on the startup Reading YARN!, an app that allows users to discover new stories from web fiction writers through a TikTok/reels-like format. The current landscape of web fiction makes it difficult for emerging and established authors to self-monetize and grow their audience. Problems include brutal percentage cuts and loss of content rights by web providers.

As one of the only business students on my team, my skills were useful. I leveraged my understanding of the market to help refine our pitch, used equipment in Bob’s Launch Pad (the School’s makerspace) to create shirts for our team, and briefed our mentors on our startup, mission, goals, and marketing strategy in a clear and concise manner. I also mapped out our two-page business model, which gave our points of revenue along with a five-year sales projection.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to pitch and improve my creative thinking skills through the help of mentors, including serial entrepreneurs, lawyers, startup founders, app developers, and high-performing professionals across a multitude of industries. These mentors gave vital, real-world feedback on the strength of our business model, the difficulties of performing in our industry, and how we could present a compelling company idea to a room of high-net worth investors. With the guidance and support of the mentors and facilitators, my team and I navigated the challenges and opportunities presented throughout the weekend, and we came away feeling prepared, connected, and motivated to pursue YARN! as a startup venture.

To aspiring entrepreneurs and innovators, I urge you to seize opportunities like the Techstars Startup Weekend. The journey may be challenging; however, through my first-hand experience, I can tell you this—it’s worth it.

Header Image: Jason Garland (left) with team Yarn