Venture capitalist enthused about Startup Weekend Fredericksburg

Ideas are everywhere, nationally known venture capitalist Jonathon Perrelli said during a visit to  Germanna Community College’s Center for Workforce & Community Education last week.

“I hate to say they’re worthless, but they’re worth less than an MVP—a minimum viable product … to create something, even if it’s just a concept put on paper to be able to show people and ask, “If I had this, would you use it?”

Jonathon Perrelli

Perrelli, managing director of Fortfy Ventures, an early stage technology investment firm., praised the work Germanna is doing with FredXchange to create a climate conducive to a startup culture.

“It’a amazing what's happened in Fredericksburg,” Perrelli said. He said Germanna Vice President for Workforce Jeanne Wesley’s “open door policy” has helped the local entrepreneurial ecosystem thrive.

“The willingness Germanna has for them to come here and host events is unusual--it doesn’t happen everywhere,” Perrelli said.

He said Germanna, working with local startup leaders including Christine Goodwin, Matt Armstrong and Matt Norris, has “provided a platform for the startup ecosystem here that’s incredible.”

With FredXchange, Germanna’s Center for Workforce will host the third Startup Weekend Fredericksburg Sept. 26-28 at GCC’s Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania.

Register Now for Startup Weekend Fredericksburg

John Sechrest, founder of the Seattle Angel Conference, Co-Organizer of the Lean Startup Seattle, and Global Facilitator will be the facilitator for Startup Weekend Fredericksburg Jan. 17-19 hosted by Germanna Community College's Center for Workforce and Community Education at GCC's Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania.


Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. It is the largest community of passionate entrepreneurs, with events in over 100 countries and 580 cities around the world.

The non-profit organization is headquartered in Seattle but Startup Weekend organizers and facilitators can be found in over 200 cities around the world. From Mongolia to South Africa to London to Brazil, people around the globe are coming together for weekend long workshops to pitch ideas, form teams, and start companies.

All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. 

The weekends culminate with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback. 

Budding entrepreneurs found companies, find cofounders, meet someone new or learn a skill far outside their usual 9-to-5 job. Everyone leaves the event better prepared to navigate the chaotic but fun world of startups. If you want to put yourself in the shoes of an entrepreneur, register now.  --Startup Weekend
 
'

GCC Center for Workforce to host second Startup Weekend Fredericksburg

Germanna Community College’s Center for Workforce and Community Education will host the second 54-hour Startup Weekend Fredericksburg Jan. 17-19 at the college’s Fredericksburg Area Campus in Spotsylvania.

Christine Goodwin is a member of FredXchange, which is putting the weekend together. She is CEO and co-founder WishStars, an online platform that brings corporate donors and educators together, was tabbed in December for one of the Center for Innovative Technology’s GAP 50 Entrepreneur Awards.

She explained in May, prior to the first Startup Weekend Fredericksburg, that Virginia has the highest concentration of information technology skilled and professional services people of any place in the country – and the many of them live in our region:

“Our greatest resource in this area is the incredibly talented human capital we have. And yet every day, we send more than 15,000 of them into Northern Virginia and D.C. to work. Too many people have resigned themselves to accept that to live here they must spend 12-14 hours a day five days a week getting to and from work in the worst traffic in the country.”

She said startups are the way to keep the talent, profits and jobs home in our area.

“We felt that … the only way to do this was to bring local entrepreneurs, interested enthusiasts and local economic development authorities together with angel and venture capital investors from Silicon Valley, Washington D.C. and Boston together for 54 hours to give the talent in this area a platform for launching.”