We did it
Written by on Monday, October 29, 2007 – 7:03 am -So, DC Startup Weekend has come and gone, we are all recovering in one way shape or form. Good news is that we were successful, we launched a “dirty” alpha release at 11:57, a whole 2 minutes ahead of schedule. It is safe to say, that by 12:02 (with champagne bottles popped and poured), we encountered our first crash. Thanks to our stellar dev team, we were back up and running in no time. The product is called HolaNeighbor, so head on over and check it out.
The weekend could not have been a success without all of the fantastic people that came out dedicated their time and skills to make this product a reality. Thanks to Andrew Hyde for coming up with the concept of Startup Weekend and coming to DC and assisting us through the process, and thanks to Micah Baldwin for his relentless blogging efforts throughout the entire weekend (not that anyone is counting, but he did shatter the previous blogging record from the Boston Startup Weekend). A special thanks also goes out to Brian Williams and Andy Rankin of Viget Labs, they were gracious enough to host the weekend at their new digs, and we escaped the weekend without damaging the place too badly.
There were lessons learned throughout the weekend, and they all were good. Bringing 70+ brilliant people together for 2.5 days could be a recipe for disaster, but it was not. We set the tone for the weekend that it was all ab out community first and company second, and everyone stuck with it. Rarely was their conflict, and when there was, it was resolved quickly (wit the exception of Friday night, but that was not conflict, it was more of a search for clarity). Everyone stuck with it, and was determined to launch a product. Every team was amazing and delivered on their promises. We kept a white board with all of our milestones and deliverables, and we met everyone of them on time. The dev team carried the weight on their shoulders, and they delivered ahead of schedule.
Now that it is over, and I have had time to reflect, it was an amazing experience, I made a lot of new friends and we did something that not everyone can do. Thanks to everyone that came out and made it a reality, it is because of you that we were successful.
Posted in Business, Opinions, Web Community |
Will Kern's take on business, startups, life and everything in between. This blog is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:13 am
Will, it’s a great deal because of you that we were successful. You did an amazing job organizing this and I had a blast. Thanks so much for conceiving a DC weekend and working tirelessly to pull it off. And then over the weekend you kept us all on track without shouting at anyone–you’re a good man-ager. Thanks again, and enjoy a little R&R…until next time.
October 30th, 2007 at 5:18 am
@Jared,
Thanks so much, but I cannot take any credit for the success, it was because of the amazing team that we were so successful. It was fun and I would work with you all again anytime!
October 30th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Congrats Will and everyone else involved. It must have been an incredible experience.
October 30th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Will - you were a great leader - effective while simultaneously being fun and low-key. Thanks so much for helping DC Startup weekend work so well.
October 31st, 2007 at 4:34 am
@Tom,
Thanks for the congrats, if you want the full length version, just let me know.
@Victoria,
Thanks for your kind words, it was a pleasure working with everyone, we had a great team. I am glad I was able to contribute to the “fun” factor for the weekend.
November 4th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Will,
I’d just like to echo what the others have said already: You did a great job!
Thanks,
Bob