You write killer code, you hack through the night, you can make back end scream beautiful, you sprinkle source code like it’s nobody’s business and you’ve dreamed of going through Boomstartup. But you don’t have a team and you don’t have an idea… No problem, this summer is the summer you will….Here’s how: The BoomStartup Hackers. 

Hello Hackers

The companies in the BoomStartup program always need more tech help as they sprint through the summer. Our Tactical Team is made up of hackers and hipsters that develop and design in ways that our teams can’t even yet imagine. The benefits? Money, working with the teams, connecting with mentors, and probably landing a job with a BoomStartup company.

Are your UI/UX designs sweet enought that even Leonardo DaVinci would come calling?

Do you sleep talk in Java, PHP, .NET, Python, Ruby, Node.js, Mongo, Objective-C, and JQuery?  

You’ll be living in SLC; you’ll be doing some hard core hustling, and you’ll walk away with a bigger network and more experience than you got the entire year prior. Meet mentors. Find friends in founders. Make some money. And maybe even exit with some equity on one of our teams. 

Apply for BoomStartup Hackers today. Can you hack it?

Assistant Director

Help build the next set of Internet/software startups, as they grow from early-stage to revenue-generating companies. From entrepreneurs to investors to mentors, your network is about to increase beyond anything you could create after many years of trying. You’ll have the opportunity to personally get to know the best entrepreneurs, mentor and investors in the region. You’ll also have access to full involvement in BoomStartup program events with the founders, mentors and the local startup community.

Ideal Applicant Description

• A passion for entrepreneurship and the startup community.

• Entrepreneurial or Event Planning experience a plus.

• Familiarity and interest in public media.

• Experience in communicating with multiple stakeholder relationships.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and organization skills.

• Ability and willingness to travel, attend meetings, networking events, often beyond the framework of a normal working schedule.

This is a full-time position through Aug. The schedule is flexible but a strong commitment is expected. Applicants should be able to jump in and complete any task quickly and effectively. You should have a varied skill set and be open to learning new ones. We expect a great attitude, desire to learn and meet new people, lots of energy and enthusiasm. You should be willing to take on any project, large or small.

Major responsibilities include

• Develop strategies and lead efforts to communicate with high-quality applicants, mentors, advisory board members, partners, sponsors, and investors.

• Manage relationships and facilitate involvement of participants and stakeholders.

• Allocate resources to ensure the success of founders and startup companies.

• Manage the associates program.

• Represent the program at various startup ecosystem events.

• Plan and coordinate Accelerator events, meetings, presentations.

• Coordinate communications and publicity in traditional and social media including blog posts, tweets, community updates, and program status reports.

Contact: Andy White, Executive Director, BoomStartup | awhite@boomstartup.com

Author: Dan Jones @dwj22

September 1, 2011: I got an email. It was from Sprouter.com. Their weekly emails introduce cool companies. One sounded interesting. I checked it out. The design was different. It was clean. It was sleek, and it was smooth.

Six weeks later I’m sitting in class. The studies were slow that day. I looked to my right. The girl sitting there was surfing on the website I’d seen on Sprouter.com just six weeks before.

She loved how accessible everything was, and she loved the design. “What do you think of it?” I asked her.  “It’s amazing!! It’s more addictive than Facebook,” she said.

To understand why design dominates, you’ll need to first understand this: Why do people eat at restaurants? 

Some people might say the food—that’s partially true, but you can always eat at home.  Some may say it’s the convenience of not having to cook. That’s also partially true, but we all know meals that are quicker than restaurants. So if it’s not just the food, and it’s not just the convenience, what is it? It’s the experience—the sum of all the reasons why we eat there.

Quality Customer Service + Delicious Food + Comfort & Convenience = Restaurant Experience

The Internet is a place where free food is common. When bland food is competing with restaurant food at the same price, the restaurant will always win. Why? Because as we stated restaurant isn’t just offering food; they’re offering an experience. And when people can get a great experience and great food every time they eat, all the sudden the food the fridge doesn’t taste so good anymore.  

To succeed in the startup game, you can’t just offer them content; you have to offer them an experience—a restaurant experience.  In computer land, a great restaurant experience is code for a great user experience.   If you are just offering content, and your competition is offering an experience, you’re competition will win.

Amazing Accessibility + Quality Content + Easy Shareability =  Great User Experience

Apple recognized the power of user experience. Apple didn’t create the first mp3 player, the first tablet, or even the first smart phone. But they did create the best user experience for all three. Their design dominates.  Apple products are intuitive. They’re simple, and they’re cool. The proof is in loyalty that Apple fans feel with their products.  You don’t see Microsoft getting that loyalty. Then again, you don’t see Microsoft having an extreme focus on design or user experience.

Why are people switching to reader apps like Pulse and Flipboard at increasing speeds? It’s because of the shift. When it comes to content, it is not longer about availability; it’s about accessibility. Places like Pulse and Flipboard have sleek designs and layouts that make it pleasant to search. Their designs make content extremely accessible, and people described them as “beautiful.” You don’t just use these apps—you experience them. That’s why they are winning.  

Pulse is currently getting one download every two seconds or about 1.5 million downloads each month. Flipboard was named one of TIME’s  Top 50 Innovations in 2010 and continues to thrive.  As we look toward the future, it’s the companies that create lasting and beautiful designs that will set themselves apart. Just as it is easier to remember a beautiful piece of art, it’s easier to remember a beautiful website.  Another well-designed beautiful app, called Instragram, has over 10 million users and is still growing.

The future of tech won’t be held by those who just make the best food. It will be held by those who create the best food experience.  For startups this means that you need to focus on how people experience things, not just what they experience.  

Last October, the site my friend is more addicted to than Facebook had 421 million page views—up 2,000 percent from last June. It currently has 4 million users and is growing like crazy.  What’s the name of that site? It’s called Pinterest.

Author: Dan Jones @dwj22

Today, there is a shift in startups. The idea that you build startups like big businesses do R&D is dying; the idea of injecting scientific principles into startups is now taking hold. It’s been labeled the lean startup movement, and it’s revolutionizing the startup world.

Like any movement, it had to get started somewhere by someone. Steve Blank, Alexander Osterwalder, and Nathan Furr are a few of the “someones” that have launched the lean movement forward. They are three of the best minds in the world on the lean startup model and the shift in startups. Lucky for us, on February 3, all three of them will be attending a networking lunch in Sandy.

·        Steve Blank is the genius behind Customer Development, the idea of bringing the scientific method to startups. He’s a very successful entrepreneur, and he wrote the book The Four Steps to the Epiphany. Steve now teaches entrepreneurship courses at Stanford and Berkley.

·        Alex Osterwalder is the brains behind the Business Model Canvas. This canvas changed the way companies and startups build a business model. His book, Business Model Generation, brings the best of business model canvas and business model ideas together.

·        Nathan Furr is the creator of the Nail It then Scale It methodology. The ideas in his book Nail It then Scale are inspiring entrepreneurs everywhere to nail the pain, nail the solution, and then scale with something that you’ve proven works. 

The lessons of the lean startup model help people to build their businesses faster, cheaper, and more efficiently. Instead of shooting in the dark with your idea, this movement teaches to walk out of the building. Get up, get out, and test your idea. Then you can see if people want it, and if they want it, then you will build it.

Victor Hugo said, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” Come to the lunch February 3. Meet and hear from three of the world’s best on lean startup methodology, for it truly is an idea whose time has come.

Register here: lean startup ALL-STAR networking LUNCH

Author: Dan Jones @dwj22

Here’s how: Startup Weekend.

Eugene had an idea. The idea: make resumes more visual. The problem: he didn’t know how to make it happen. What did he do? He went to a Startup Weekend.

Startup Weekend is simple. It’s 54 hours which equals 1 night + 2 days of startup craziness. 

First night: It starts with the ideas. First they are pitched. Attendees vote on them, and teams are formed around the top ones.  Then skills are identified, and ideas are discussed to set the direction your team will take.

Day 1: This is where the work happens and the fun begins. All day you build, you get mentoring, and you do all the hustling you can handle. The bulk of your building happens on this day.

Day 2: If sprinting a mile were like a Startup Weekend, this would be the last lap. You put the finishing touches on your project, you meet with mentors, you get help from other teams, and you prep for questions, and you get ready to present. At night, companies are presented, judged, and thenawards are given out.

Most people take months to move from an idea to service or a product.  Startup Weekend allows you to experience all of that in 54 hours.  But that’s just the core; Startup Weekend comes with other added benefits:

·         Meet local startup leaders: These mentors that have succeeded in startups. Not only will you get the chance to get face time with them, but you also get feedback from them and can begin to build these relationships

·         Co-founder dating: The weekend is a great way to really test who you are compatible with. After the startup weekend, you know which people you can found a business with because you will have just started one. 

·         Startup Weekend is cheap: $75 for seven meals, snacks, access to exclusive resources, AND the opportunity to build a business? You’re definitely getting a lot of bang for your buck.

Startups need skills. If you can hack, hustle, or design, we think Startup Weekend is for you. To help get more hackers there, we at BoomStartup are providing scholarships covering fees for 12 UI/UX coders or for back-end developers. If you’ve got these skills, email our executive director Andy White, at awhite@boomstartup.com. 

Events like this are crucial for relationships in the community. They strengthen ecosystem growth, and create an environment where startups can sprout, grow, and develop.  That’s why we’re doing these scholarships, and that’s why we’re going to be there.

But what happened to Eugene? Well, he showed up and pitched his idea at Startup Weekend. It was a hit. He was given a team and they went to work. Before the 54 hours was up, his site was getting hits from all over the world.  Today his site visualize.me has over 100,000 users. 

54 hours isn’t a lot of time, but it’s enough to start a business.  You can talk and think about starting a business, or on February 2-4, you can be part of starting one. 

Will you be the next Eugene? Who knows, but after 54 hours of hustling and hacking, you can say that you’ve done something crazy—you’ve started a business in one weekend.