How to Launch a Company in 54 Hours: St. Louis Startup Weekend Begins

If you're feeling ambitious this weekend, Nov. 14-16 will see the return of "Startup Weekend St. Louis," a three-day networking event geared toward jump-starting local innovators.

If you’re feeling ambitious this weekend, Nov. 14-16 will see the return of “Startup Weekend St. Louis,” a three-day networking event geared toward jump-starting local innovators. Admission is $79, $49 for students.

At the T-REX-hosted event, attendees quickly form teams and will spend the weekend planning and starting their own company. Teams then present their ideas to a panel of judges on Sunday.

“It’s really providing a space for innovation,” Colleen Liebig, director of recruiting for Cultivation Capital, says. “People are networking, but they’re also bouncing ideas off each other. And they have a limited amount of time to do something with these ideas, so they really have to get their thinking caps on.”

Liebig is an organizer for this year’s Startup Weekend St. Louis. She says St. Louis has proven itself to be a successful home for many startups because of leaders and events such as this.

Local grants and a low cost of living allow for an opportune moment to build a network and meet other driven individuals in the area. Attendees don’t even have to come with an idea — Startup Weekend is all about networking and getting involved with the city’s startup scene.

“[We’re] in a sense going through this renaissance right now, which is really exciting to see,” Liebig said. “If people like [an] idea, they’ll get behind the idea and support it.”