Innovation Center hosts startup marathon

Those interested in the world of startups can immerse themselves in it at the third annual “Startup Weekend Stamford” at the Stamford Innovation Center, April 11-13.

The event is billed as an intensive, 54-hour, hands-on experience, where startup enthusiasts, developers and designers “will join marketers, product managers and business advisers to share ideas, form teams, build products and launch startups.”

Startup Weekend kicks off at the Stamford Innovation Center, 175 Atlantic St., Stamford, April 11, 6 p.m. “Demo Day,” with team presentations, judging and awards is April 13.

Tickets are $99 (students pay $49 with ID) and the price includes seven meals, snacks, coffee, and access to resources. The target audience includes: developers ”“ software engineers, coders and developers; designers ”“ such as graphics, UX/UI, etc.; and nontechnical skills like business, marketing and public relations.

Stamford Mayor David Martin will participate as a judge during the Sunday evening “Demo Day,” joining other leaders in the entrepreneurial tech world at the event. (Pre-mayoralty, his MBA is from Stanford, his undergraduate degree from MIT.)

“We welcome Mayor Martin”™s participation in Startup Weekend 2014,” said Barry Schwimmer, founder and managing partner of the center. “Since the first Startup Weekend Stamford two years ago, we have seen interest in launching startups skyrocketing all along the I-95 and Merritt Parkway Connecticut corridor.”

The event starts with open mic pitches Friday night, April 11, in the SIC auditorium, when attendees have one-minute to pitch a startup idea. Teams will then form around the top ideas and work collaboratively on Saturday and Sunday, building a business model, coding, designing, creating a viable product and validating customer needs.

Business leaders will serve as mentors and coaches over the weekend, offering one-on-one advice to each team. The weekend concludes with final presentations on Sunday, April 13, when each team presents its business to a panel including venture capitalists J. Skyler Fernandes and Mark Wachen; SIC entrepreneur-in-residence Janis Collins; Life in Mobile CEO John Lim and Martin.

Winning teams will receive free, real-world help from top advisers and coworking space at the SIC. For more information and to register, visit Stamfordicenter.com.