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Startup Weekend brings together aspiring entrepreneurs

By Andrea Celeste - Nov 16,2017 - Last updated at Nov 16,2017

AMMAN — Scores of entrepreneurs on Thursday gathered at the Jordan University to share ideas, form teams, design and launch startups during a three-day hackathon titled “Startup Weekend Amman”.

Lasting for 54 hours, the event will see participants share ideas, brainstorm, research and come up with a prototype or a minimum valuable product (MVP), according to Annas Alchalabi, the Startup Weekend facilitator. 

Started in 2009, the Startup Weekends are weekend-long, hands-on experiences where entrepreneurs share entrepreneurship and business knowledge, and exchange feedback on their ideas, according to the event's Facebook page.

Launched in Jordan in 2011, the event has been conducted more than a dozen times in Amman and Irbid, according to Alchalabi, covering topics including education, women, government and health. 

“What attracted me initially was the idea of collaboration and team work. Unfortunately, in our education system, we do not get a lot of these skill trainings; we don’t get hands on experience,” Alchalabi told to The Jordan Times at the event. 

Open to people from all age and nationality, the event gathers team consisting of three to five people. “It is open to anyone who wants to participate. We have people coming from other governorates in Jordan and even other countries,” Alchalabi said. 

“Working as a team, a unit and a group of individuals that shares the same goal and purpose is something invaluable, we are trying to promote that culture in Jordan,” he said. 

The first day of the event focused on participants getting to know each other and collaborate. 

Fourteen-year-old Layan Arar said: “We have experience and ideas to share. For instance, I have the skills to design a website and similar tasks, while others can help the team in different ways.” 

The teams are scheduled to finalise their work and present it on Saturday when a panel of judges and experts will evaluate the prototypes and select the winning team.

“I participated in startup weekend two years ago. I was in eighth grade from a public school so it was kind of big deal for me. I didn’t win but it was a very good experience. Without this, I wouldn’t be here right now," said 15-year-old participant Lilak Al Kahachi, adding "it really helped me develop my personality. It made me more open, more sociable and truly inspired me”.

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