Google Backs Startup Weekend, Tapping Nonprofit’s Global Network of Entrepreneurs

It’s already been a big year for Startup Weekend http://startupweekend.org/ . Google wants to make sure the next two years are even more action-packed.

The Seattle-based nonprofit, which helps entrepreneurs create prototype products through intense 54-hour hackathons http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2011/08/03/how-the-science-of-fun-helped-startup-weekend-span-the-globe/ , is announcing a new two-year sponsorship deal with Google http://startupweekend.org/2011/11/10/google-and-startup-weekend-partner-to-deliver-pre-event-developer-workshops/ today. The amount isn’t being disclosed, but Startup Weekend CEO Marc Nager tells me that it’s the biggest corporate sponsorship yet for his crew.

And the deal involves more than just a check. Google is tapping into Startup Weekend’s global network–the nonprofit is on track to host more than 250 events worldwide this year–to hold developer workshops ahead of the weekend’s hackathons. Those workshops will run budding entrepreneurs through some common technical tools and platforms, from basic software development kits to building mobile apps, Nager says.

Curt Woodward

Full Story: http://www.xconomy.com/seattle/2011/11/10/google-startup-weekend/