What is Startup Riot?
Startup Riot is entrepreneur and innovator Sanjay Parekh’s latest attempt at jump-starting the startup culture and tech community in the Atlanta area. In essence it’s a networking event focused around startup pitches to an audience comprised of recent grads looking for jobs, people involved in technology with other companies and investors as well as other startups.
By now you can probably come up with a fancy xkcd-like diagram in your head about how this should all meld together. Startups pitch everyone, people involved in technology with other companies can serve as early adopter customers to relevant startups, job seekers can find interesting local startups to work for and investors can buy us lunch meet intriguing startups looking for funding (theoretically).
The details are just coming out of the woodwork but there is now a date: Monday, May 19th, 2008 from 9am - 5pm at the Twelve Hotel in Atlantic Station. Better yet, there is actually a keynote speaker! Even better, I’ve actually heard of him before - Drew Curtis, the founder of Fark.
Registration just opened so if you’re local, please consider attending. I should be able to finagle a way out of my 2 or 3 summer courses that day and help pitch Skribit. I haven’t been this amped about an Atlanta tech event since Startup Weekend.
Does your city have any events like this?
Totally creating a new startup. I’m considering calling it Ceiling Cat Industries. I don’t know what it’ll do, I’m thinking taking Skribit’s app, reshelling it, and distributing it for insane imaginary profits.
// Does your city have any events like this?
I live in Chennai,INDIA and we have a bi-annual event called proto.in, you can check it out at http://proto.in
If Pittsburgh has an event like this I don’t know about it yet, but I wish I did. I’m looking forward to a write-up after the event.
Thanks for the note about the event. Should be a great time for all. Note that you don’t have to be Atlanta based to participate. Startups from anywhere are welcome as are job seekers, investors, and companies. Come one, come all!
Great work by Sanjay in arranging this event. Things like this will make Atlanta a better environment for startups and will help keep young talent like Paul in the area.
BTW, talk about Google juice, you posted this what an hour ago and you’re already the second result for the keywords “startup riot”.
Haha, how coincidental - I was just at a planning meeting for a Startup-Weekend-esque event here in Waterloo (Canada) with some folks who have participated in previous Startup Weekend events, and Skribit was brought up.
The leads are calling it Mobile Weekend, and although it was originally set for late April, some extenuating circumstances have pushed the date back.
I’m looking forward to participating in it, especially after reading some of the experiences of other Startup Weekend participants.
Blake - thanks for the kind words. I can use everyone’s help in getting the word out to the big companies/non-profits, job seekers, investors, and startups that this is an event they should attend to connect to one another. Even if a startup isn’t looking to get money or even if they don’t want to pitch, this will be a valuable event. Thanks again!
Drew Curtis is a Kentucky kid, sweet.