Tatsiana Sokalava has learned in the past couple of years about the entrepreneurial rollercoaster.
The startup she began alongside her son, Career Scoops, saw some early success.
However, it also had to make a necessary pivot before it regrouped to add a good number of area schools and groups to her partnerships.
But Sokalava was ready for it.
She had gone through a gauntlet of startup-related steps at a Startup Weekend shortly after launch.
“In two days, you will test your limits and validate your idea to find out if you want to work on it further,” she said. “Sometimes, that can take months. Startup Weekend takes that process and puts it on steroids.”
The next Startup Weekend will launch Friday at Tech Hub Orlando, 36 W. Pine St. downtown.
The frequency of the event has helped cement it as one that has built a growing group of supporters and attendees.
“It offers a test ride of the idea but also of entrepreneurship itself,” Sokalava said. “When you go through this intensive weekend, you get a good taste of what it’s like and whether it’s for you or not.”
For Reese Kelsey, Startup Weekend initially created connections with Orlando’s growing startup scene.
As she watched others pitch ideas at her first one, she decided to pitch an idea for an ordering system for restaurants that allowed guests to order while waiting for a table.
Initially, she had not planned on pitching.
But as she saw others pitch so she took a chance.
“I said, ‘Whatever, I don’t know anyone in the room,’” she said.
Kelsey has become a regular at Startup Weekend and other tech events in and around Orlando.
The repetitions she takes at the events has pushed her to improve as an entrepreneur, she said.
“I have built my confidence as an entrepreneur,” Kelsey said. “If you don’t show up to events, in general, or get involved, the opportunities will not present themselves.”
Startup Weekend has become one of the more popular business-building events in Central Florida.
It’s an exercise in building an enterprise in two days, complete with validation, marketing and other exercises in the form of a competition.
Adam Ben-Evi first attended a Startup Weekend eight years ago as he was struggling in his business.
His teams have had success throughout the years, winning his first event and placing in several others.
He met an investor in 2022 who now supports his regional fitness app Spot.
“These events are crucial because they provide validation and create connections between future entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors,” he said. “It offers the perfect combination of networking, idea validation, and skill-building.”
It’s exactly why Rajiv Menon has become the face of Startup Weekend in Orlando in recent years.
He said getting involved with the event has opened new doors.
Startup Weekend is an exercise in seeding new companies and training those who might be interested in entrepreneurship.
“It’s a great value add by itself to upskill people and help them think about making better decisions in entrepreneurship,” he said. “We want to give that seed all the resources it needs with connections to funders, cofounders and others in the community.”
“It’s about learning from each other all the possibilities that are out there.”
Sokalava praises Startup Weekend as a great way to test out your ideas.
As she continues to build Career Scoops, she has also helped work with Startup Weekend, appearing on a panel of success stories this week for the community.
“It’s still an early startup with its ups and downs,” she said. “But we have had some great successes that we are very proud of.”
