Organizer FAQ

Application

Q: How long do I have to wait to hear back after applying to become an organizer?

A: We aim to respond to every applicant within 72 business hours, excluding major regional public holidays. If you’ve not heard anything back from our team within 72 hours, please feel free to reach out to us at help@techstars.com. 

Q: I want to organize an event, but I have some questions before I apply.

A: We’d love to talk with you more about what you have in mind and answer any questions you might have. Please contact us at help@techstars.com, give us a little background about your questions and previous experience, and tell us how we can help. The Techstars community support contact for your region will get in touch with you and schedule a call if need be. 

Q: How do I apply?

A: Please review the Startup Weekend organizer requirements, and make sure that you qualify to apply to become an organizer. If you qualify, and you agree to our organizer rules, please fill out our application form. 

Q: Can I organize this by myself? 

A: Regardless of how capable you are, we will not approve an application for anyone to run a Startup Weekend by themselves. It takes around three months for 4 to 8 people to plan a Startup Weekend, and you’ll need a team who can help coordinate all the moving parts of organizing the event. Learn more about forming a team and the recommended roles and responsibilities the team need to cover.

Q: What if someone on the team quits? 

A: It’s hard work to organize a Startup Weekend. Form a team with those you trust will see the event through to the end. We recognize that unexpected things happen that lead to team members needing to drop out. We expect those who need to decommit from their roles to communicate this with their teams as soon as they can, so that teams can find someone else to provide support. Set these expectations with team members from the start. 

Q: Can Techstars Startup Weekend help me with a visa to organize a Startup Weekend in another country?

A: No. Organizers are expected to be connected to and want to support their local community. We also do not provide visa assistance to participants who want to attend a Startup Weekend in another country. 

Q: Can I organize a youth event for participants under 16 years old?

Due to regulations put in place in recent years (around parental consent and youth data), Techstars is not permitted to run any youth events, targeted specifically at young people under 16 years old, at this time. 

Event Management

Q: What tools does Techstars provide to help us organize our Startup Weekend?

A: Techstars provides a brand kit and a graphic designing tool. We also provide various templates including a planning sheet, organizer checklist, registration platform recommendations, email templates, sponsorship outreach, workshop decks, a quick reference guide, and more. Tools and templates can be found in Preflight Community Platform. Organizers will have access to the platform once your application is approved.

Q: Do we have to charge for tickets?

A: Unless otherwise agreed upon with your Techstars community support contact, all Startup Weekends must charge an admission fee to participants. We’ve found that having a small barrier to entry drastically reduces participant last-minute cancellation and drop-out rate. The ticket prices should be affordable, and at the same time encourage some commitment. 

Q: How do I create my event website? 

A: As the event organizer, you are responsible for creating and managing your own event website and registration page. See our Event Website guide here.

Q: How many participants should I recruit? 

A: Startup Weekend can support anywhere from 25-125 participants, but the ideal number is right around 80 participants. When you’re engaging in community outreach, make sure you’re including people with diverse backgrounds and skills. We recommend having a good mix of people with marketing, technical, creative, business, and-or non-technical backgrounds at your event. We believe that having a balanced participant group will ultimately result in stronger teams and an overall better participant experience. 

Q: Can we provide discounts for tickets to certain groups? 

A: Yes, you can provide discount codes for certain groups you are trying to attract to your event. You might also want to consider providing discount codes to students and those to whom the cost of a ticket might be a barrier to entrepreneurship. If you have sponsors attending your event, you likely need to provide a couple of free tickets — you can do this by offering ticket discount codes as well. We advise against ‘buddy discounts,’ since this is unfair to the rest of your participants and not good business practice. 

Q: Can I see an example event schedule? 

A: Yes, you can see an example event schedule on the Schedule page. Both in-person and online event schedule templates are available in your Planning Sheet, which can be found in Preflight Community Platform. Remember, you should create your event schedule in your event management platform so that you’re able to publish this to your participants when ready.

Q: Can I change the event schedule to be on 3 different days of the week? 

A: In some countries, a weekend, or 2 days off, falls on other days of the week. If your country falls within this category, you are welcome to change the days of your event to your calendar weekend. We usually discourage holding Startup Weekends on work days, since this creates a barrier for a lot of people to attend (not to mention the event is of course called Techstars Startup ‘Weekend’), but please do reach out to your Techstars community support contact to discuss further.

Q: I need to cancel my event — how do I do this? 

A: Please submit your event status update HERE as soon as you find out that you need to cancel your event. We’ll first discuss options to see how we can help get the team back on track. If necessary, we can help you cancel or postpone your event and discuss possible future dates to hold your event instead.

Marketing

Q: How do I recruit participants to attend my event? 

A: You encourage people to attend by generating excitement and educating potential participants on the impact and value of attending a Startup Weekend. We provide promotional materials and strategies in Preflight Community Platform.

Q: Can I build my own event website? 

A: Absolutely! All organizers must source their own event platform/registration page whilst adhering to our branding rules and guidelines. Once the page has been created, the organizing team must share the link with the Techstars Startup Weekend support team for the event to be shared in our upcoming Community events page. See our Event Website guide here.

Q: Can Techstars promote my event for me? 

A: There are too many individual Startup Weekend events happening across the world to dedicate time and resources to promote each one. In some cases where many events join a larger initiative, Techstars will promote the initiative under which the events fall. If you’re struggling to recruit participants to your event, please see our promotional templates and strategies in Preflight Community Platform.

Q: Can you provide clear messaging around what Techstars and Techstars Startup Weekend is? 

A: Yes — It’s important to communicate a consistent message to potential participants, sponsors, mentors, judges, speakers, and everyone else who you are asking to be a part of your event. See our messaging guidelines in Preflight Community Platform.

Q: Can I add other team members to Desygner?

A: No, there is only one login per organizing team. The lead organizer (the person that submits the application) will receive an invitation to create an account. Once the account is created, the log in details can be shared with the team members. 

Finance and Sponsorship

Q: I’ve never had to raise sponsorship before — how do I do this?

A: Organizing a Startup Weekend is a great educational experience to learn how to raise sponsorship. We provide sponsorship outreach email templates and outreach strategies, as well as a sponsorship deck with pre-filled information about the mission, structure, and impact of Techstars Startup Weekend, and the value for partners of sponsoring a Startup Weekend. Read all about our recommended best practices for raising sponsorship in Preflight Community Platform.

Q: How does one set up a legal entity?

A: You may need to establish a separate legal entity for business operations if you’re unable to use an existing entity. If necessary, consult a legal advisor who can donate their time to help guide your business operations, but there should be plenty of information available relevant to your country and region. You can reach out to your Techstars community support contact for more information and guidance. Please note that Techstars Startup Weekend cannot provide financial or legal advice to organizing teams.

Q: What should I do with the profit from our event?

A: Since Techstars Startup Weekend cannot provide financial or legal advice to organizing teams, we cannot tell you what to do with your profit. Some teams have used profit from Startup Weekend to invest back into the community by running community workshops, meetups, or more Startup Weekends, but this is entirely up to the discretion of the team. 

Q: What should I do if a participant wants a refund?

A: Techstars Startup Weekend recommends that organizing teams typically honor refunds up to 72 hours before the event kickoff. [If your event is on a Friday, then the refund request would need to be submitted by Tuesday night at the latest]. See Finances page for more details.

Q: How do I process a refund?

A: Techstars Startup Weekend recommends that organizing teams typically honor refunds up to 72 hours before the event kickoff. The organizer is expected to manage the refund process through the registration platform of their choice.

Q: What are Global Partners?

A: Techstars Startup Weekend global partners work with Techstars directly to support Startup Weekend participants across the world with tools and services. They support our global mission of developing entrepreneurial ecosystems and communities, and making entrepreneurship accessible to all. See the list of our global partners here.

Facilitator

Q: What is the role of a facilitator? 

A: A facilitator is a member of the Techstars Startup Weekend community who has organized at least two Startup Weekends. Many continue to organize Startup Weekends even after they’ve become a facilitator. They are considered resident Startup Weekend experts and are there to support your team, help everything go smoothly during your event, and make sure that all attendees have a rich, positive experience. Read more about the responsibilities of your facilitator. 

Q: What information does the facilitator need from the organizing team?

Travel and Accommodation: Your facilitator will need their travel and accommodation costs paid for by your team. Please work with your facilitator to get this confirmed at least two weeks before your event.

Facilitator Deck: Facilitators use a facilitator deck for their presentation throughout the event. Techstars provides the deck template, but they will need the following information at least one to two weeks prior to the event to complete the deck:

• information about the venue

• local sponsorship information and logos

• information about prizes, if applicable 

• pictures and bios of the speaker, the organizing team, mentors, and judges 

• information about workshops and other activities or logistical information

• the event schedule

Q: Can I choose my own facilitator?

A: Yes. As the organizer, you are responsible for finding the facilitator for your event. Use the facilitator pairing tool in Preflight Community Platform to connect and confirm your certified facilitator. As a requirement, you must have a facilitator confirmed no later than 1 month before the event. 

Q: What should we bring to the event?

A: Apart from organizing catering for the seven meals throughout the weekend, you’ll need to remember:

• Any collateral and swag that you designed and produced for the weekend including posters, roll-up banners, nametags, stickers, t-shirts, and pens

• Printouts of judging forms and mentor signup sheets

• Supplies like pens, post-its, extra charging cables, power extension cords, and adaptors

• A variety of tasty and nutritious snacks and drinks

• Your laptops and phones with charging cables. Make sure you’re able to register participants and final pitch attendees from your event management platform through your laptop. Confirm you have a space at the venue to safely and securely store your personal belongings. 

Q: Does everyone on the organizing team have to stay the entire weekend? 

A: Not necessarily, but we highly recommend each team member being there for most of the weekend, pulling their weight. It can be stressful and tiring to deal with all the logistics involved in running the event, and the more people to help, the better. It’s the final push to make your event a huge success, and you’ll have more control over its success by being there in-person (where possible). It's also incredibly rewarding to witness the personal growth in participants — from 60-second pitches on Friday night to final pitches on Sunday night! 

Q: What resources/assistance are provided to participants over the weekend?

A: A key part of every Techstars Startup Weekend is the valuable advice and assistance provided by the event’s speakers and mentors. Mentors — community experts in various fields like entrepreneurship, software development, marketing, finance, law, and more — dedicate their time to help provide advice to participating teams. In addition to the most valuable resources at the weekend (the people), we’ve put together a list of some useful tools and resources for participants before, during, and after the weekend. This can be found in Preflight Community Platform.

Q: What do I say if someone asks me about the issue of intellectual property or ownership during the weekend?

A: Participants sign an agreement when they register for tickets to not bring any legal documentation to the event. Techstars Startup Weekend doesn’t retain or claim ownership to any ideas, as that is left up to the teams. We do acknowledge that the issue of patents and copyright is an important one. It’s also one that is a question of risk and reward for participants. 

Our guidance around this issue is to emphasize that Techstars Startup Weekend is about the educational experience of learning how to build a business, not the legal activities to register that business. Even if participants don’t pitch the idea that they are worried about someone ‘stealing,’ they can still take the learnings from the weekend and apply it to their idea afterwards. Participants should also focus on making valuable connections with mentors and other participants during the weekend, some of whom they may want to involve going forward. Participation is still valuable, regardless of the idea. 

Techstars Startup Weekend does not support or take part in the signing of any legal documents at the events and cannot provide financial or legal advice. Similarly, while mentors with legal backgrounds are often present and able to give general advice, they are not permitted to provide specific legal counsel.

Q: What happens in case of an emergency?

A: No one event is the same, and therefore it is impossible to control every detail of your event.  The key to dealing with emergencies is to be flexible and resilient. You should prepare for what you can, and calmly, efficiently deal with what you can’t. Emergencies can take many forms, like someone falling ill, an electrical storm cutting the power to your venue, or an act of violence. Having an event emergency plan should help lead to better outcomes and a safer environment for everyone. We recommend that you reach out to the venue and review their emergency plan. The plan should include the location of emergency exits, how to contact emergency personnel, and what to do in case of a medical emergency, fire, etc.

Q: Why do I need to share the Techstars Communications Sign up link with attendees and mentors?

A: Sharing the Techstars Communications Sign up link with attendees and mentors will give them the opportunity to joinTechstars Network, including Techstars Preflight, a Pre-accelerator Community Platform where they can connect with other like minded early founders, community leaders and access to further perks. This will also give them the opportunity to opt-in to receive further information from us, including what’s next for their journey with Techstars as well as inclusive content/resources for further entrepreneurial development, information about upcoming accelerator programs etc.

Q: What happens if I don’t share the Communications signup link with attendees and mentors?

A: Sharing the Community Signup link is part of the requirements in our Organizer License agreement. If you fail to share the required information requested from Techstars, your future event license may not be approved. 

Q: How do I find out if my event was a success?

A: To determine event success you will need to define what success looks like to you. Did you sell as many tickets as you wanted? What kind of feedback did your participants give you during the weekend? Did you stick to the schedule? It’s important to report on your event’s success to your sponsors in your wrap-up email to them. Send a post-event survey to your participants using the participant survey template in Preflight Community Platform.

Q: How can I get more involved in the Techstars network?

A: There are many ways of getting more involved in the Techstars network. 

Engage with the community on Techstars Preflight

Connect with other Community Leaders, early founders, mentors and share your wins, thoughts and highlights on our Techstars Preflight Community platform. 

Join a Techstars portfolio company

Check out our Talent Network, where you can apply to join one of our Techstars portfolio companies. This can help you  gain more experience working in a startup before you take the plunge to start your company. 

Become a Startup Weekend facilitator

Once you’ve organized at least two Techstars Startup Weekends, the next natural step could be to grow into a facilitator role. While the Startup Weekend facilitator journey differs from facilitator to facilitator, the role has many valuable benefits for professional and personal development.

Become a Startup Digest curator

Techstars Startup Digest works with local curators to deliver relevant startup content to innovators around the world. Whether it’s their first company or their fifth, Techstars Startup Digest connects founders with their local startup community through events and quality content. If you are interested in curating, you can apply to become a curator.

Organize a Startup Week

Techstars Startup Week is a five-day, entrepreneur-led, community event held in cities across the world showcasing the city’s startup ecosystem through meetups, lectures, discussions, and celebrations. The intent is to bring entrepreneurs together while building momentum and opportunity around a local community’s unique entrepreneurial identity. You can read more about Startup Week, and apply when you’re ready.

Q: What kind of support can Techstars Startup Weekend provide participants to help their teams launch?

A: Techstars Startup Weekend primarily serves as an entry point to entrepreneurship, but our support and community span much further beyond the weekend. Participants can sign up to join our Techstars Preflight Community Platform. The local organizing team is responsible for sharing the signup link with participants before, during and after the event. Whether participants are ready to accelerate their business or want to help build their local entrepreneurial ecosystem, Techstars is here to help any way we can. Visit Techstars.com to learn more.

Event Website Requirements  

Q: Can I use whatever registration platform I want for my event?

A: Yes. All organizers must source their own event platform/registration page following our brand guidelines and share it with the Techstars Startup Weekend team. Once your application has been approved you’ll receive specialized support for your site that will help you build your event and registration page. See Event Registration Platform for requirements and recommendations.

Q: How do I share my event page links with the Techstars Startup Weekend support team?

A: Please submit your event registration page link here.

Q: Why do I need to include an opt-in question in my event registration page? 

A: Following the GDPR, all attendees must opt-in during registration to receive further communications from Techstars.   

Q: Am I required to charge sales tax?

A: If you need to add taxes in the U.S. or another country, we recommend speaking with a tax attorney or advisor. Each U.S. state has different laws for how sales tax is collected and reported. Charging taxes is at the sole discretion and responsibility of the event organizer. 

Q: What is the refund policy for Startup Weekend? 

A: Techstars Startup Weekend recommends that organizing teams typically honor refunds up to 72 hours before the event kickoff (If your event is on a Friday, then refund requests would need to be submitted by Tuesday night at the latest). See here for more details.

Q: Are we still going to use Eventbrite?

A: You can choose to use Eventbrite as your registration platform but Techstars will not provide or set up the page for you.  

Q: When can I expect to receive information about running my online event?

A: In the past, you should have received information from us about applying for, and running an online event. If you have not received anything from us, please reach out to help@techstars.com.

Q: Will Techstars Startup Weekend online be a permanent option?

A: Covid-19 still makes the future uncertain and unpredictable. So, we don't know whether Techstars Startup Weekend will go back to only in-person or continue to include online events in the future. We will be looking at what makes the most sense for our communities, our CLs and the business.

Until we are more certain about the future outlook, we will support the online event model for as long as it makes sense and is requested by the community.

Q: What is the New Community Model?

A: A self-serve model that will give community leaders greater ownership of their events. We have developed a platform and a new toolset that empower CLs to independently set up and customize their events, while managing their own event finances. 

Q: What has Changed?

A: New Brand + Graphic Design Tool (Desygner)

We’re excited to bring to you a new brand identity for Techstars Community. The new system integrates the unique aspects of our startup community programs into the core Techstars identity. For the first time, there will be a shared DNA across the Techstars ecosystem. We’ve also just launched Desygner, a simple graphic design tool that will help you as CLs produce customized, brand-compliant event assets.

Open Source website and registration page

All Community Leaders will be able to set up their own event website and registration page from a platform of their choice, following Techstars brand guidelines. 

Preflight Community Platform

The Techstars Preflight Community is our new, online platform created out of a passion for keeping that magic alive long after a Startup Weekend is over. This pre-accelerator community is a place for early founders and community leaders to connect, learn, grow and stay inspired. All of the event supporting resources, training courses and self-facilitator pairing tool can be found here. As a Community Leader, you should receive the invitation link to the platform in your inbox. You will need to create an account using the link provided to have access to further resources. If you need help accessing the link, please contact help@techstars.com

Organizer License and Event Agreement

Techstars has created an organizer license and event agreement to help guide CLs through their event experience. It outlines the rights and clear guidelines for CLs to ensure all events worldwide maintain a high standard of excellence and provide a quality experience for participants. 

A licensing agreement is a legal contract between two parties. Our new license agreement is more in depth than our previous Terms and Conditions and is focused on our relationship with CLs. We will not charge organizers any license fee under this agreement. 

Q: How are you going to train me on the new tools?

A: Our new resource portal contains a number of training materials and guides to help you get up to speed with our new tools. We will also have our helpdesk available to field questions.

Q: You’ve mentioned a Techstars global rebrand. What is the new Techstars branding for Techstars Startup Weekend, Techstars Startup Week, and Techstars Startup Digest like?

A: Techstars launched a new brand identity last March, and we’ve begun rolling it out in phases throughout our company, network and global community. In December of 2020, we launched a new brand system to unify and elevate the collective identity of our programs. We’ve streamlined brand guidelines and provided an enhanced library of assets on the new event platform. Materials have launched alongside our new Techstars Community resources.

It's been very well received so far and we think it will be helpful for attracting volunteers, attendees and sponsors to your events! 

Q: Is Techstars launching a new website for Techstars Startup Weekend and Techstars Startup Week?

A: Techstars has introduced a new Techstars Community website last year (2020). You can head to our Communities homepage to access them.

Q: Will there be greater flexibility on branding and co-branding guidelines with the new format?

A: We believe it's important to maintain consistency and clarity of branding to build the trust and excitement that attracts sponsors, volunteers and future CLs. No, there will not be greater flexibility with our branding.

• However, we will provide you with more assets, resources and materials to support you with your event promotion and branding. We’ve adopted a new brand platform called Desygner to help create customized brand assets for your events 

• Techstars events cannot be co-branded: you may not link the Techstars Startup Weekend or Startup Week logos/identities/names to the name of another organization, non-profit, corporation or other entity

• If you’re looking to run an event on behalf of another entity and feel free to reach out to us or consult our event license agreement.

Q: What do you mean when you say that the new model for Techstars Startup Weekend is self-serve?

A: The model gives you greater ownership in managing the execution of your event, with less need to rely on Techstars staff:

• You will have full control over your own event finances, which means that any profit you make from events is yours to keep

• Techstars will not be supporting any event finances and there will be no accounting support, so we will not be asking you to report your expenses

• You will be able to set up your own event website and registration page from a platform of their choice, rather than relying on our team to do everything for you

• You will be able to connect and match with your own facilitator for your event using Preflight Community Platform. 

Q: Why is Techstars making these changes and focusing on Techstars Startup Weekend for now?

A: We know you've been waiting patiently for some improvements! We've heard your feedback and incorporated it into our planning process, so that we now have an opportunity to make changes that will provide an enhanced experience for CLs.

• The improvements and flexibility of the new systems require less hands-on support from Techstars staff. This will give our team more time to better engage with our CLs and their communities.

Q: How do I access support from Techstars during this Techstars Community transition?

A: As always, we'll be available to support you via help@techstars.com.

Q: Will Techstars support finances in the new Techstars Community model?

A: Techstars will no longer provide accounting support for Techstars Startup Weekend events and all organizing teams will be asked to manage their event finances locally.

Q: Why will Techstars not be supporting finances moving forward?

A: As part of re-imagining the Techstars Community model, for Techstars Startup Weekend, we believe a self-serve model will help us better meet CLs' needs. We want to give you greater ownership of your event.

• Having less reliance on Techstars staff will allow you to manage all your finances in your own way, at your own pace.

• We want to give CLs the freedom to decide what to do with their profits, for example, reinvesting into their community.

• Since Techstars will not be supporting event finances there will be no accounting support, so we will not be asking you to report your expenses (freeing you from that administrative task!).

Q: Will Techstars provide any support for CLs related to best practices for managing the finances for their own event?

A: Legally, Techstars cannot provide financial or legal advice to CLs or community teams, but we’ve general guidelines for managing event finances in The Techstars Preflight Platform.

Q. If a team invoices a sponsor for a Startup Weekend event and the named entity on the invoice is not Techstars, it is possible that sponsors may become suspicious. What should event teams share with sponsors about the relationship with Techstars and what they will do with event profits?

A: At Techstars we believe in a culture based on transparency. We advise teams to outline how event sponsorships work, and how their team handles finances. It is important to highlight that each event is part of the Techstars network; a global organization/movement, run in over 170 countries around the world. It will be up to you to responsibly and thoughtfully manage the communication and engagement with your sponsors. With regards to invoicing your sponsors, we suggest that you include on your invoice that the event is a Techstars Startup Weekend or Startup Week, in order to confirm the relationship between Techstars, your organizing team, and your sponsor.

Q: What happens with event profits? Can we keep them, and if so, how do we explain that to sponsors?

A: The new model does offer the potential to keep profits but it is not required to take profit, and taking profit may change the dynamic of your event and relationships with sponsors and the community. It will be up to you to responsibly and thoughtfully manage the communication and engagement if you decide to keep profits, and to use the profits in a manner that aligns with Techstars values.

• If you do decide to keep profits, you can use the profits to develop your local community, host other community events, invest the profit in your next Techstars Startup Weekend event or sponsor community led initiatives.

• Whatever the case, you must ensure that you are transparent about your finances with your sponsors.

Q: If we get to keep the profits and reinvest them, how does Techstars benefit from these events?

A: Techstars has  discontinued the Community Chest model, so we will not be making any revenue directly from events. We envision that global sponsorships similar to Google for Startups and GoDaddy Registry (formerly Neustar/.CO) will continue to be key to our business. In the future we will look to hold specific events in conjunction with our partners, and we would like to be able to work closely with community leaders in these types of situations.

If CLs can keep the profit from their events, isn't this a risk for the culture we've built globally?

It is a risk, but one we feel we can manage, and one that we think is worth pursuing given the benefits that can come with the flexibility for CLs to decide how best to reinvest the profits for their entrepreneurial communities.

• As we transition to this new Techstars Community model, we are putting controls in place to ensure that each organizing team fully embraces and embodies the Techstars values.

• Not only do we have a vetting process at the application level, we also will closely monitor each organizer's journey.

• We strongly stand by our values and the trust the global community puts in us and we will - and have - require bad actors to leave our community. By bringing together the right people who share our cause, we believe that any profit made at an event will be returned to the community and, under this model, in the way that best supports the community under these values. We also believe that the community will help us identify anyone behaving in a way that undermines these values.

(Please note that Techstars has a zero tolerance policy toward discrimination and abuse toward any member of our community. If you are ever in a vulnerable situation, please reach out to saysomething@techstars.com).

Q: I saw that the financial part will change. How will it work?

A: The new Techstars Community model will give you greater ownership in managing the execution of your event, with less need to rely on Techstars staff. You will have full control over your own event finances, which means that any profit you make from events is yours to keep.

• The new model offers the potential to keep profits but it is not required to take profit and taking profit may change the dynamic of your event and relationships with sponsors and the community. It will be up to you to responsibly and thoughtfully manage the communication and engagement if you decide to keep profits, and to use the profits in a manner that aligns with Techstars values.

• Techstars will not be supporting any event finances and there will be no accounting support, so we will not be asking you to report your expenses.

• You will be able to set up your own events and tailor the event website that we provide, rather than relying on our team to do everything for you.

• Techstars have stopped supporting finances for events once we stopped using SWOOP on June 22 2020.

Q: In the new community model, will event organizers be responsible for paying all event expenses, including those not covered by sponsorship funds?

A: Techstars has never covered costs for individual Startup Weekend or Startup Week events. The policy has always been that event organizers are responsible for securing funds through sponsorships and ticket sales. This doesn't change with the new self-serve model. The only change in this respect is that we don't process finances for your events anymore. We encourage event teams to continue to source local sponsorships to support event expenses. The current license agreement outlines specific parameters for who you engage with as sponsors.

Q: In order to manage our finances, do we need to register as a company and file our own taxes for the event regionally?

A:Techstars suggests that you follow the requirements of your own country, as rules vary in each country.

• There are two standard options of how to manage your own finances:

  • Register your own company, file taxes, and manage the whole finance process; or

  • Alternatively, partner with an existing local entity, who can help you manage the financial process as in #1 above, or will manage that part of the event themselves as part of the partnership agreement. Regardless of who you partner with, if you pursue this option, the partner must also abide by Techstars values.

• Techstars is not able to provide finance or legal advice to teams, but we will provide general guidelines into managing finances. These will be forthcoming soon.

Q: If registering locally as an independent organization, do teams need to register a Startup Weekend as a non-profit?

A: How teams approach setting up their entities and the related paperwork, classification and tax filings depends on where they're located. It is important for teams to follow their country's legal systems and financial regulations. Teams may have to set up their own entities, or they may have to work alongside a local non-profit, or for-profit entity. Some countries don't require entities, some others do. Teams may not necessarily need to set up a new entity to organize an event, and may be able to use or partner with an existing entity in their region. Techstars cannot provide specific financial or legal advice, but we can provide general guidelines. We will provide more information on this soon.

Q: Will the rule "organizers cannot be from the same organization" finally be eliminated?

A: No, the rule will not be eliminated. But, we have made exceptions and been flexible about this rule. We will continue to consider any exceptions on a case-by-case basis. We recognize it is inconvenient to some, but we have this rule for a very important reason - to ensure that the intention of the organizing team is to do something for their community, in line with Techstars values.

• Having said that, much in line with Techstars' own approach to accelerators and ecosystem development, we believe that there is strength in having organizing teams from varied backgrounds. Having different people from different industries and skill sets, has proven to foster innovation and creativity, which we believe is what it takes to build a strong community.

Q: Will Techstars cover any costs associated with the event platform?

A: No. As an organizer, you are responsible for selecting and paying for the registration platform of your choice, including the service fees associated with it.

Q: As CLs and facilitators, how can we report bad actors and negative behavior in our communities?

A: We all share the same values and vision, and we want you to feel safe and comfortable reporting any bad action to us; we also want it to be easy for you. During this interim time frame, Please contact help@techstars.com if you have any questions or concerns around bad actors.

• We have As part of the transition plan for the new Techstars Community model, we are thoughtfully considering the best way to identify bad actors in our new community operation model.

Q: What is the current status for event insurance? Are organizing teams liable if something goes wrong during their events?

A: Techstars provides general liability insurance plans for events. We require that each event organizer arranges liability insurance, even if it is not required by law in your locality. Please reach out to help@techstars.com, or your regional manager if you wish to arrange your insurance with our provider, or alternatively, please arrange your own insurance provider.

Q: What is the protocol for dealing with several teams in the same area now that Techstars is moving to a self-serve model?

A: This issue is certainly not new! As well as working closely with CLs and carefully vetting applications, we’ve added a new tool - a CL licence agreement - which will explain how different groups of CLs should work alongside each other in the same regions. The addition of the licence agreement helps make the process more structured. 

Q: Are you planning to incentivize and recognize top CLs?

A: Yes! We have rolled out our Community Beta All-Stars Cohort in Q1 2022. The program highlights and provide more value to top CLs. We will begin the selection process for class of 2023 soon.

Q: When can we begin nominating people for the All Star Community Leader Program?

A: We are still defining the structure of the program and process for nominating All Star CLs, but rest assured that we'll share more information with you as soon as we can. The concept is that community leaders and Techstars staff will be able to nominate other community leaders to be part of the All Star Community Leader Program.

Q: What is the qualifying criteria for the All Star Program?

A: The criteria for entering the All Star Program is holistic. Experience with Techstars Startup programs will certainly be considered when evaluating candidates for the All Star Program, but we believe there are also other aspects to consider. For instance, it's important to evaluate what actions organizers have taken outside of Techstars events to help build their communities. This will provide opportunities to community leaders from smaller cities that don't have as much event activity, but are doing an amazing job contributing to their local ecosystems. The All Star Program is not only about recognizing the volume of events an individual has led, but how much impact they've had in their community.

Q: How will you highlight All Star CLs in the Techstars network?

A: At Techstars we are constantly working to improve the way that we share stories from our community. This includes success stories of companies from our events, to personal stories of a community member's growth. For some community leaders, Startup Weekend is a part of their own entrepreneurial journey, and we'd like to learn more about your involvement with your community. We're eager to spend more time getting to know all of you on a personal level, and we want to make sure you feel connected to the wider Techstars network.

Q: Will Techstars still control who can organize events?

A: Yes. We will continue to vet all organizers who apply to run any of our programs and stay in close touch with all current CLs and administer events that are planned or in discussion. It is critical to all of us, globally, to ensure we have the right people helping each community in ways that align with the entrepreneurial spirit and Techstars values.

Q: How do you define success for Techstars Startup Weekend at a global level?

A: Number of events was an important factor in the past, mainly because of some of our sponsor agreements. That's not the case anymore. While we do want to continue supporting as many communities as possible and reach more people, we want to prioritize and ensure quality experiences and make sure we engage with the right CLs in each community.

Q: Is the facilitator’s role changing at all?

A: Facilitators are such a huge part of our Techstars community, and we want to expand our support for them. We want to improve the overall experience for facilitators by providing our new facilitator training and resources, as well as offering them more opportunities within our network and professional development opportunities.

Q: Why have Startup Weekend emails been discontinued? Does Techstars have tips on how to transfer contacts/data to other email accounts? Will there be a new tool to help us communicate with our local networks?

A: Part of moving to a new community model that provides greater ownership of events to CLs requires us to retire some old technologies and platforms that have been used over the years. City distribution emails (i.e. london@startupweekend.org) are now also discontinued. Our recommendation is that you access your email account and export or transfer anything important to you. You can use the tool Google Takeout to help you with this process. If you have any more specific questions, please reach out to help@techstars.com.