Email Templates

All email templates are organized under the relevant stakeholder that you will be reaching out to, on one page for convenience. Please use the shortcuts below to skip ahead to the section you need and copy and paste the information into your communications. Be sure to replace all bracketed content with event-relevant information.

Mentors

Mentors outreach email

Subject: Mentor invitation - Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL], [DATE]

Hi [NAME],

I’m currently organizing a Techstars Startup Weekend in [CITY], set to take place on [DATE]. Techstars Startup Weekend is a global grassroots movement of active, empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. You can view this video about Startup Weekend to see how it works.

We would ask for two hours of your time in total, and for you to spend around 20 - 30 mins with different teams of around eight participants. Your role would include listening and determining how you can help and provide advice and guidance related to their business idea, including customer validation, creating a business model, and helping design and execute their minimum viable product. We encourage you to help them ask the right questions, and provide constructive feedback to help them build their startups instead of giving them all the answers. We provide more guidelines once you confirm your availability.

Would you be available to mentor on [DATE/TIME]? Mentoring is a great way to give back to the community. Even though we only ask for two hours of your time, you're more than welcome to stay longer.

Please contact me with any questions, and we hope to see you at Startup Weekend!

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing Team [CITY/VERTICAL]

[ORGANIZING TEAM GROUP/POINT OF CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS]

Mentors reminder and mentoring information email

Subject: Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL] Mentor Reminder and Guide

Hello Techstars Startup Weekend Mentors!

Dear [NAME]

Thank you again for volunteering to mentor at Techstars Startup Weekend event [CITY/VERTICAL]! I want you all to know how absolutely vital you are in making Techstars Startup Weekend an amazing event.

Venue: [ADDRESS] Date: [ADDRESS] Time: [TIME]

When you arrive at the venue you can expect to sign in with [ORGANIZER/VOLUNTEER NAME], [LEAD ORGANIZER/ROLE], and then we’ll get you introduced to our Techstars Startup Weekend facilitator [FACILITATOR NAME] [LINK TO BLOG/TWITTER]. Our facilitator or a volunteer will help get you introduced to each team.

We at Techstars Startup Weekend have learned that improving our communication with our mentors has been a significant driving force in the overall quality of the experience — leading to events that produce well executed ideas, stronger teams, thriving entrepreneurs and most importantly, stronger communities. That said, listed below are some tips to ensure the teams get the most from their time and experience with you:.

Participants will have varied experience and skills - for some, this will be their first introduction to entrepreneurship, and some might be serial entrepreneurs. They will also have varied skill sets, so we ask that you determine where you can add the most value once you’ve met the team and gauged their experience and skill sets.

Your primary role is to be present and available - by your presence and availability, you give teams the confidence to achieve and the knowledge necessary to progress. Guide teams to focus their attention on building a strong foundation to form a solid startup. This includes the judging criteria: market validation, business model development, and customer validation. Direct teams to become experts in the industry of their potential startup.

Help teams design and carry out effective experiments -collect and analyze data from user interviews. Gently guide them in the right direction by helping them ask the right questions. Our guidance is to never make decisions or do the work for teams.

Help ensure that teams assume nothing - identify assumptions being made and challenge them to tackle those assumptions. A huge part of the value you provide is an outside perspective. A successful team mentoring session is when you’ve helped a team to start asking themselves the right questions, guided them to work through difficult decisions, and/or pointed them towards a new resource or set of tools. A general guideline is that your sessions and interaction with teams should be three parts listening and one part talking.

Mentor with empathy and practise inclusivity — give everyone on the team a chance to speak up, and listen with an open mind.

Don’t try to be everything for every team - we expect to have [20+ teams] working on projects with [10+ mentors] to help them. Try not to spend more than 30 minutes with each team, and make sure that you are not interrupting in the middle of something important. When you arrive, introduce yourself and ask if they need your help. Don’t hesitate to sit and listen for a while instead of asking them to pitch their idea again.

Help keep teams on track - we want Startup Weekend to be a place where mentors continue to build their own connections and where alumni companies come back regularly to participate and learn. Please do be mindful that we rely on mentors to set the "getting stuff done" tone for the teams. Encourage teams to stick to a roadmap of deliverables (i.e. coding done by noon on Sunday, and presentations done and ready to practice 2 hours in advance, etc.). Teams building their pitches earlier will be able to put together better and more coherent presentations.

It’s about fundamentals - Startup Weekend is the most accessible, low risk, and effective environment for building teams, validating ideas, and learning the first steps to launching a business through experiential education. Instead of telling teams that their idea has been done before, try channeling their passion for a particular problem/solution and use that energy to get them to follow a process that will create solid execution. The end goal is for participants to have ‘learned how to learn’ to be an entrepreneur. Early on in the event, many teams will be raring to go, and will ask questions like - what's the best way to create a survey? What platform do you think we should develop on? As a mentor, you want to avoid answering how questions and pose why questions instead.

Thank you again for being a part of Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]. If your availability has changed, please email us at [ORGANIZER POINT OF CONTACT EMAIL] so that we can make adjustments accordingly. If you have any questions please feel free to email me directly.

See you soon,

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing Team [CITY/VERTICAL]

[ORGANIZING TEAM /POINT OF CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS]

Judges

Judges outreach email

Subject: Judge invitation - Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL], [DATE]

Dear [NAME],

My name is [NAME] and I'm a member of the organizing team for Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL], a 54-hour event that supports early stage entrepreneurship.

Techstars Startup Weekend is the world’s starting point for entrepreneurship. It’s where designers, developers, marketers, students, startup enthusiasts, and everyone in-between come together to share ideas, form teams, and launch startups. It’s 100% volunteer-run and our organizing team is dedicated to fostering local entrepreneurship to strengthen our community.

We would like to invite you as part of the judging panel for this event. We would be thrilled to have you because [INSERT REASON WHY THE PERSON WOULD BE A GOOD FIT FOR THE EVENT — LIKE EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THIS INDUSTRY, AN EXPERT IN THIS FIELD, THEIR REPUTATION AND WORK IN THE LOCAL ENTREPRENEURIAL SPACE, ETC.]

What this involves: Participants present startup ideas the first night — Friday night — and prepare to demonstrate a minimum viable product or concept test on Sunday, the last night of the event. As a judge, you would arrive about an hour or two before the final presentations on Sunday afternoon, go through a short briefing with the organizing team, meet some teams, and then take your seat in your judging panel to watch the final pitches and evaluate the teams’ work.

We’re providing you with a judging form to score teams on their business model, customer validation, and execution and design. After each presentation you will have [5 MINUTES] to ask the team some questions and provide actionable feedback. Once your final Q&A is complete, our facilitator will escort you to a judge deliberation room where you will select the [TOP 3 WINNERS].

Date:

Venue:

Please let us know if you’ll be able to be part of our judging panel for Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL].

Thank you for considering!

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing Team [CITY/VERTICAL]

Judges reminder and judging information email

When to use: Schedule this email to go out on the Saturday before judging, so that all judges have this information fresh in their minds and at the top of their inbox.

Subject: Judging Criteria and Instructions for Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL], [DATE]

Dear [NAME],

Thanks again for being one of our judges at Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]! We appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you on Sunday, [DATE].

Venue Information

Address:

Directions and parking:

My contact number: [CONTACT NUMBER OF PERSON MEETING JUDGE]

As a reminder, the universal Startup Weekend judging criteria is divided into three sections. Teams should be judged according to the following three criteria, which are weighted equally:

Business Model: How does the team plan on making this a successful business?

Is it a unique idea?
What is their key value proposition?
Have they thought about competition, how to scale, acquiring customers, and their revenue model?
Have they identified a specific target market?
How will they acquire their first 100 customers?

Customer Validation: Are teams building something that people actually want?

Did the team talk to customers?
Who will be their users, who will be their customers, and are they different?
How many users have they interviewed?
Did they target the correct people to interview?
What did they learn from their customer interviews?
What are the core needs of their users?

Execution & Design: Have they established an MVP — the minimum set of features to be able to start collecting data?

What feedback did they get to inspire their Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
Did they build a prototype? Any medium is fine, including paper or Google Slides.
How effective is their MVP for the purpose of the weekend?
How functional is their technical demo, if applicable?
How easy is it for the user to navigate and use their product?
Were they able to incorporate customer feedback into the solution?

We will provide a judging form for you when you arrive so that you are able to score teams and make notes during the pitches and to choose the [TOP THREE] winning teams.

Instructions for Judging

Rate the team in each category on a scale of 1 to 4.
- 1 - minimal expectations met
- 4 - surpassed all your expectations in the category
Make a note about each team for each category. Please give them actionable feedback during your Q&A.
The primary purpose of the scores are to help with deliberation, rather than provide a formula to calculate the winning teams.

Instructions for Deliberation

[THREE] different teams need to be selected for prizes.
Choose the teams that most thoroughly succeed in the three judging criteria: Business Model, Customer Validation, and Execution and Design.
The overall winner should be the team that shines the most in all three categories and should be the team you would most anticipate seeing in an accelerator program soon after the event.

Thank you,

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing Team [CITY/VERTICAL]

Standard Judging Form Template

Speakers

Speakers outreach email

Subject: Speaker invitation for Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]

Dear [NAME],

My name is [NAME], and I'm a member of the organizing team for Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL], a 54-hour event that supports early-stage entrepreneurship.

Techstars Startup Weekend is the world’s starting point for entrepreneurship. It’s where designers, developers, marketers, students, startup enthusiasts, and everyone in-between come together to share ideas, form teams, and launch startups. It’s 100% volunteer-run, and our organizing team is dedicated to fostering local entrepreneurship to strengthen our community.

Given your background in [ENTREPRENEURSHIP/INDUSTRY/ETC] we would be honored for you to speak at our event at [VENUE] on [DATE] at [TIME]. [WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF CONFIRMING OUR VENUE AND CONFIRM THIS WITH YOU IF YOU ARE AVAILABLE SOON]

At past Startup Weekends, we have found the most effective speakers talk for about 10-15 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. The subject of your talk is entirely up to you. However, please keep in mind that many Startup Weekend participants are first time entrepreneurs with many different backgrounds and skill sets.

Read more about Techstars Startup Weekend.

Thank you very much for your consideration - we look forward to hearing from you.

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing team [CITY/VERTICAL]

Volunteers

Volunteers outreach email

Subject: Volunteering at Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]

Hello [NAME],

I hope you are well.

We have an exciting opportunity for you to join the volunteering team for our upcoming Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY] taking place on [DATE] at [VENUE].

The Startup Weekend event is a creative and collaborative three-day educational event that allows anyone to develop and pitch new startup ideas. It's about pitching, business model creation, prototyping, designing, and market validation all in a friendly and supportive team environment consisting of innovative, like-minded, driven, and passionate individuals. For more information please see our event page [EVENT PAGE LINK].

“Why should I give up precious weekend time to volunteer at Startup Weekend,” you ask?

Without our volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to provide the level of quality and support to participants who are there working hard to realize their dreams. We believe that entrepreneurs can, and do, come from anywhere, and that strong entrepreneurial ecosystems are created from connected communities.

By giving your time to support local entrepreneurs, you’re helping to build and strengthen your local entrepreneurial community and helping make dreams come true. You’ll be able to have an impact on your local ecosystem, and meet people entering the field.

There are various volunteering opportunities available during the weekend. If you’re ready to sign up, please let us know which assignments you might be interested in by completing this form [LAUNCH VOLUNTEER SIGNUP FORM EXAMPLE]

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing Team [CITY/VERTICAL]

[ORGANIZING TEAM POINT OF CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS]

Volunteers reminder and volunteer assignments information email

Subject: Volunteer assignments - Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]

Dear [INSERT NAME],

Thank you for volunteering at Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]! We appreciate your help - we couldn’t do this without you!

Please see the details your volunteer assignment below:

Assignment: [E.G. REGISTRATION DESK]

Date:

Arrival time:

Duration of assignment:

Address:

Parking information:

Volunteer coordinator email and contact number:

Once you arrive at the venue, our volunteer coordinator will sign you in, provide you with a t-shirt and name badge, and show you to your assignment.

[BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER/COFFEE/SNACKS] will be provided. Please feel free to bring a refillable water bottle with you.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

See you soon!

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing Team [CITY/VERTICAL]

[ORGANIZING TEAM POINT OF CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS]

Promotional

Community Promotional Outreach Email

Subject: Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL] [DATE] - you’re invited!

Hello [NAME],

I hope you are well. We would be honored if [COMMUNITY GROUP NAME][CITY/VERTICAL], which takes place on [DATE] at [VENUE]. Startup Weekend is a 54-hour educational event, which helps to educate, support, and empower people to become entrepreneurs. Feel free to check out this video for more information.

We’d love to get the local community involved, so we’re spreading the word and would love for [COMMUNITY GROUP NAME] to participate. I think [COMMUNITY GROUP NAME] would be a great fit for this event because [INSERT REASON WHY YOU THINK THIS GROUP IS IDEAL FOR STARTUP WEEKEND].

I have created a discount promo code for the group as a perk. The code is [XXXXXXXX] — when registering for the event, simply add the promo code during checkout. Here is a link to our event page for more information and ticket registration [INSERT LINK TO EVENT PAGE].

The following messaging might be useful to include in your communication to your members:

Techstars Startup Weekend is back in [INSERT CITY AND DATE]! If you're not familiar, Startup Weekend is a 54-hour educational event where anyone — developers, designers, business developers, marketers, teachers, students, and everyone in between — can come together to pitch an idea and launch a business, all in one weekend. It is a great opportunity to test startup ideas, meet potential co-founders, build your entrepreneurial community in [insert city], and even launch your next startup! For more information and to register for the event please visit [INSERT LINK TO EVENT PAGE].

Thanks in advance for helping us spread the word. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing Team [INSERT CITY/VERTICAL]

[INSERT ORGANIZING TEAM POINT OF CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS]

Venue and Catering

Venue outreach email

Subject: Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL] + [VENUE NAME/COMPANY NAME]

Dear [NAME],

My name is [NAME] and I'm a member of the organizing team for Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL], a 54-hour event that supports early stage entrepreneurship.

Techstars Startup Weekend is the world’s starting point for entrepreneurship. It’s where designers, developers, marketers, students, and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, and launch startups. We are organizers dedicated to fostering local entrepreneurship to strengthening our community. The event is 100% volunteer-run and our revenue to cover event costs is entirely dependent on sponsorship and ticket sales.

We would love to host our event at your venue because [LIST REASONS - LOCALITY, TYPE OF SPACE, COMPANY INDUSTRY AND INTERESTS, AESTHETICS ETC]. The following is a breakout of what we need in a venue for our event:

Date: Our first choice date is [DATE], but should [VENUE] be unavailable on this date, we are open to moving our event to another weekend.

Venue Requirements: We are able to bring in many of the supplies listed below, but ideally we would be able to access some or all of the items in the list below at [VENUE]:

Chairs and tables for around [NUMBER] people

Wi-Fi (with a minimum of 5mbps download and 1mbps upload speeds)
Projector or screen where we can show presentations
PA system with microphones
Power outlets and power strips or extension cords
Whiteboards or spaces where teams can use flip charts or easel pads.
Restrooms that are open throughout the weekend
Accessible and safe

Standard Event Hours:

Friday: 5:30 p.m. – 12 a.m. (Organizing team arrives at around 2 p.m. for setup)
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.

The Benefits:

Hosting a Techstars Startup Weekend will give your space and team some great exposure to local entrepreneurs. You will also be able to show your support for the local community, bringing a diverse and passionate group of people together for the benefit of economic growth within entrepreneurship. We will also include your logo on our website and communications, as well as any swag or promotional materials we create for the event.

If you would like to get a better feel for what Startup Weekend is, visit Techstars Startup Weekend or view this video to see how it works. Please let me know if you have any questions at all, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Best,

[NAME]

Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL] Team

Caterer outreach email

Subject: Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL] + [VENUE NAME/COMPANY NAME]

Dear [NAME],

My name is [NAME] and I'm a member of the organizing team for Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL], a 54-hour event that supports early stage entrepreneurship.

Techstars Startup Weekend is the world’s starting point for entrepreneurship. It’s where designers, developers, marketers, students, and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, and launch startups. We are organizers dedicated to fostering local entrepreneurship to strengthening our community. It’s 100% volunteer-run and our revenue to cover event costs is entirely dependent on sponsorship and ticket sales.

We would like to inquire about possible partnership opportunities with [COMPANY NAME] because [INSERT REASON — WE THINK YOUR FOOD IS HEALTHY, DELICIOUS, SUSTAINABLE, EVERYONE’S FAVORITE ETC].

We will need catering for seven meals total — Friday night dinner, and Saturday and Sunday breakfast, lunch and dinner — and would appreciate any in-kind sponsorship for meals or parts of meals (for example, coffee with breakfast, or juices with lunch) that you might be able to provide. We would be happy to pick up any catering that you’re unable to deliver to the venue.

Date:

Venue:

Breakfast delivery time: [7:30 AM]

Lunch delivery time: [11:30 AM]

Dinner delivery time: [4:30 PM]

We aim to be inclusive of all participants and to provide options for most common dietary needs including dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan wherever possible.

The Benefits:

Providing catering for a Techstars Startup Weekend will give your business and team some great exposure to local entrepreneurs. You will also be able to show your support for the local community, helping a diverse and passionate group of people come together for the benefit of economic growth within entrepreneurship. We will include your logo on our website and communications, as well as any swag or promotional materials we create for the event.

Best,

[Name]

Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL] Team

General

Event wrap up and thank you email for event support

Subject: Thank you for supporting Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]!

Hello [NAME],

We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of our team for Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY]!

We could not have done this without you. Your #GiveFirst efforts helped us to support [INSERT NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS] local aspiring entrepreneurs, many of whom will go on to build their companies and thrive.

We sincerely hope that you enjoyed this experience and that you made some great connections within your community. If you were inspired by this experience and want to continue to stay involved, we would love to hear from you. There will be opportunities to [VOLUNTEER/MRNTOR/JUDGE/SPEAK] again, help organize the next Startup Weekend in [CITY], or even run a Startup Week in [CITY]!

If you are interested in joining another Startup Weekend or learning about other entrepreneurship events in your community, you can subscribe to Startup Digest, where you can find a curated list of startup-related events in your city.

Please feel free to share your experience via social platforms using the hashtags #techstars and #[INSERT EVENT HASHTAG], and to share any images of the event you might have with us as well.

Thanks again!

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing Team [CITY/VERTICAL]

[ORGANIZING TEAM POINT OF CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS]

Cancelled or postponed event email

Subject: Notice of cancellation of Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY] [DATE].

Hello,

We are very sad to announce that we are postponing our Techstars Startup Weekend on [DATE].

Unfortunately [give the reason why you are canceling/postponing the event - example: we have had some logistical issues / we do not have enough participants to hold this event on the scheduled]. We'll be rescheduling the event for [new date]. Our goal at Techstars Startup Weekend is to create awesome, life changing events, and I would not want to waste your time and money on anything less.

For now, everyone will be reimbursed for their tickets.

Once again, apologies for the inconvenience. Please feel free to contact us at [ORGANIZING TEAM POINT OF CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS] if you have any questions or concerns.

Best,

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing Team [CITY/VERTICAL]

Participants

Español - Português - Français

2 days before event start date email

SUBJECT LINE: Welcome to the Techstars Startup Weekend experience

BODY:

Hi there,

Welcome to the Techstars Startup Weekend experience. You are joining over 600k people that have participated in one of our programs in over 140 countries. You might have an idea or just want to join a team to explore, but did you know that companies that started at Startup Weekend have raised over 2 billion dollars to date? You might know some of them like Rover, Zapier, Carousell, Easy Taxi, GoSpotCheck, RealyMogul, Everledger, Kantox and many others.

Register your details here [INSERT unique Techstars Communications Sign up link] to join the Techstars network to receive further information including what’s next for your journey with Techstars as well as inclusive content/resources for further entrepreneurial development, information about upcoming accelerator programs/ events etc.

PERKS

We have several valuable global partners who support Startup Weekend. You’ll hear more about this during the event:

GoDaddy Registry: as a participant you can register a free GoDaddy Registry domain name (and you will receive that code directly from the organizing team during the weekend). GoDaddy Registry provides domain names that many innovators and entrepreneurs all over the world use.

Brex: Techstars Startup Weekend founders get 30,000 points after spending $1,000 on their Brex card, $5,000 AWS Credits, access to $150K in SaaS discounts, and Empower essential for free. Participants must open an account with Brex and apply for the offer. Brex welcomes international founders and only requires US Incorporation and an EIN. See here for more details about the requirements.

Google for Startups ‘Google Cloud Platform’ is offering participants $300 (USD) in credit to build their web/mobile apps.

We’ll be in touch again with more information on how to prepare for your event.

Best,

Techstars Startup Weekend [VERTICAL] [CITY] team.

If you have any questions, please review our FAQ.

1 Day before event start date email

SUBJECT LINE: Preparing for your Techstars Startup Weekend [VERTICAL] [CITY]

BODY:

Hi there,

You’re one day from the event kick-off and we hope you’re excited to get started!

YOUR IDEA FOR A STARTUP

Techstars Startup Weekend is an excellent opportunity to practice pitching an idea or presenting a problem you want to solve with a team over the weekend. You’ll be able to pitch it on the first night. Your pitch does not have to be a full-fledged solution or idea. You’ll have 60 seconds to pitch and we suggest covering the following: your name & background, the problem you want to solve, your proposed solution, and what skills you need to add to your team in order to develop the solution.

Important: Startup Weekend is a great place to pitch an undeveloped idea. Please do not pitch a project that you are already working on.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE EVENT

Comfortable clothes are key!
Don’t forget your water bottle!
You’ll need your laptop, and/ or a notebook and pen.
Don’t forget chargers and extension plugs.
If your event is online, ensure you have a good internet connection, camera, and mic!

On top of this, please remember to check our event website [URL here] to familiarize yourself with the facilitator(s), organizing team members, mentors, etc. If your event is online, make sure to reach out to your event’s organizers to find out if there are communication channels for your event: this is where you will find announcements, ask for help and much more.

Everyone participating is there to learn and experience something new just like you. Be patient, respectful, kind, and keep the space safe for yourself and others. You’ll have a great time!

All the best and see you soon!

Techstars Startup Weekend [VERTICAL] [CITY] team.

If you have any questions, please review our FAQ.

Day 1: Friday email

SUBJECT LINE: It’s nearly time for Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]!

BODY:

Hi there!

I hope you’re as excited as we are about getting Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL] started tonight!

Doors open at [TIME]
The venue location is [ADDRESS]
Dinner will be served at [TIME]
We will get started promptly at [TIME]. Please be on time.

Once our speaker session is complete, we’ll do a quick icebreaker and then start our 60-second pitches. We will explain how the pitch process works beforehand, but you can review the following guidelines in advance:

Pitches are strictly 60 seconds - no exceptions.
You will most likely have just one chance to pitch, depending on how many people choose to pitch tonight, so if you have multiple ideas, pitch the one you’d prefer to work on over the weekend.

Please check out participant tools you can use to prepare, and tools you can use during and after the weekend to help build your startup.

If you have any questions, please send us an email and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

We’re so excited to see you soon!

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing team [CITY/VERTICAL]

Day 2: Saturday Morning email

SUBJECT LINE: Everything you need to know for Saturday - Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]!

BODY:

Good morning! Today is a big day filled with a lot of activities, so we want to make sure that you have everything you need and know where to get it.

1. Team Registration

Now that you’ve formed your team, please take a moment to select one teammate to fill out your Startup Weekend Team [Launch Registration Form Example]. Team registration is how we track the success of Techstars Startup Weekend and contact teams after the weekend.

2. Resources

Tools for Participants - where you can find useful tools and Techstars video content:

How to Understand Your Customers: A framework for thinking about the actual problem you’re solving as you begin customer validation.
How to Tame the Chaos: Startup Weekend can be a chaotic environment. This video will show you simple ways to keep your team on the same page while getting more work done.
GSW Insider Session: Prototyping for Speed and Scale: Want to unlock the full potential of your design team? Need to understand how UI, animation, and visual elements integrate to shape your users’ experience? Leveraging the prototyping process, you can build a realistic version of your idea, validate your design direction, and share your vision with stakeholders.

3. Food

Meals will be served at the following times (don’t worry: there will be coffee, water, and snacks available at all times!):

Breakfast will be served at[TIME]
Lunch will be served at[TIME]
Dinner will be served at [TIME]

4. Mentors

Mentors will be in today from [TIME] to [TIME] There will be sign-up sheets for your team to choose when you want to work with specific mentors. We’ll go over this during our morning announcements, but do remember to sign up for mentors as soon as possible.

5. Judging Criteria

The universal Startup Weekend judging criteria is divided into three sections: Business model, Customer Validation and Execution & design. Familiarize yourself with the judging criteria here.

Good luck and please approach anyone on the event team with questions you might have during the day.

Techstars Startup Weekend [VERTICAL] [CITY] team

Day 2: Saturday Afternoon email

SUBJECT LINE: Global Partner perks Reminders for Startup Weekend [VERTICAL] [CITY]

BODY:

Hi there,

As part of Techstars Startup Weekend, you can get access to exclusive global partner codes. Celebrate our partners with some tweets, click to tweet.

Find more details below:

GoDaddy Registry

Code: [insert code]
Redeem the code at: startup.co.
The code will only be active until the first Thursday following your event.
1 x free GoDaddy Registry domain, per person.
For more information, visit GoDaddy Registry's FAQ or reach out to support@porkbun.com or your event organizers.

Brex

Techstars Startup Weekend founders get 30,000 points after spending $1,000 on their Brex card, $5,000 AWS Credits, access to $150K in SaaS discounts, and Empower essential for free.
Participants must open an account with Brex and apply for the offer. Brex welcomes international founders and only requires US Incorporation and an EIN. See here for more details about the requirements.

Google for Startups

Google Cloud Platform is offering participants $300 (USD) in credit to build their web/ mobile apps.
Click this link to claim your perk.
After applying for the credits, participants should hear back from the Google team regarding approval for the credits within 2-5 business days.
Check out some free Google Tools (Google Trends,Market Finder): These tools allow founders to test if there is a growing demand for their products and in which markets.

Top tips for your Event:

Set a team culture of taking breaks. Sometimes a quick coffee run or a walk for fresh air will help stimulate better productivity.
Use your mentors effectively. Spend time researching your mentors with your team and prepare customized questions based on their experience and expertise.
Keep track of time by setting time limits on team discussions. If you aren’t able to conclude by the end of that time, move on to the next point and come back to the unresolved one later.

Now go forth and be awesome!

Techstars Startup Weekend [VERTICAL] [CITY] team

Day 3: Sunday email

SUBJECT LINE: Our final day - Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]!

BODY:

Welcome back to our final day!

We know you're working really hard, but it's critical that you take a moment and read this email about the breakdown for Sunday night’s presentations:

We will go through a list of the presenting order tonight before your tech checks. This will be the order of the pitches.
You will be advised to send your presentations to the facilitator ahead of time so that all presentations can run off one laptop. Tech check will be at [TIME].
Each team will have [5 MINS] to present. The judging panel will have [5 MINS] for questions and feedback, then we'll jump straight to the next presentation. We will be very strict on timing!
The room is yours. Use any visual aids you want. Make it interactive if you can. But remember that you have [5 mins].
During your presentation, we will alert you when you have one minute remaining. We won’t allow pitches to go overtime, as we need to stick to our schedule and provide equal time constraints for each team.

Your Judges will be:

[NAME], [BIO]
[NAME], [BIO]
[NAME], [BIO]
[NAME], [BIO]

Quick recap of the judging criteria:

Business Model: How does the team plan on making this a successful business?
Customer Validation: Are teams building something that people actually want?
Execution & Design: Have they established an MVP — the minimum set of product features to be able to start collecting data?

We'll explain how the voting/judging/prizes will work at [4 PM DURING DINNER]. Please approach anyone on the event team with questions during the day.

Good luck!

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing team [CITY/VERTICAL]

Post-event: Monday after event email

SUBJECT LINE: CONGRATULATIONS - Techstars Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL]!

BODY:

Hi weekend warrior!

Thank you for your participation in Techstars Startup Weekend! You helped make it AWESOME!

Having participated in a Startup Weekend, you are now part of an extensive global network of passionate and aspiring entrepreneurs, mentors, startup talent, and community supporters.

Here's a recap:

Event metrics: XX attendees, XX ideas pitched, XX teams formed, XX sponsors
How you can stay connected with other attendees
- Join the Facebook group [FACEBOOK.COM/SWCITY]
- Follow the hashtag on twitter [#SWCITY]
When is the next Startup Weekend [CITY/VERTICAL] ?   
One big final THANK YOU to
- Organizers: [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME]
- Speaker: [NAME]
- Our mentors: [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME]
- The panel: [NAME] [NAME] [NAME] [NAME]
Reminder to redeem our partner offers before they expire:
- GoDaddy Registry [INSERT CODE]

Having participated in a Startup Weekend, you are now part of an extensive global network of passionate and aspiring entrepreneurs, mentors, startup talent, and community supporters. Here are some next steps should you wish to get more involved:

Organize a Startup Weekend

Techstars Startup Weekend is open to all, and we encourage anyone who wants to support their community to apply to run a Startup Weekend. Please read through the Techstars Startup Weekend Organizer Responsibilities to evaluate whether you are ready for the challenge.

Virtual Meet and Greet

Curious to learn more about possible next steps for your startup? Join Techstars to learn more about our Give First culture, mentorship-driven accelerators, entrepreneur resources, and community programs in your city that can help accelerate your startup.

Accelerators

Ready to take your startup to the next level? Join one of Techstars’ 3-month accelerators to gain funding, mentorship, and access to the Techstars network for life. Applications open six times a year, and stay open typically for 12 weeks.

Join a Techstars portfolio company

Another way to get involved is to join our Talent Network, where you can join one of our Techstars portfolio companies to gain more experience working in a startup, before you take the plunge to start your own company.

Sign up for your local Techstars Startup Digest

Receive information on the best tech and startup events happening in your area. Subscribe to Startup Digest.

Share your Success Story

We want to hear about any successes you achieved due to being part of the organizing team of a Startup Weekend. The best way to track and measure the impact of this program is by hearing your success stories directly from you. Please submit your story using this form or reach out to help@techstars.com at any point during your entrepreneurial journey to share your story with us.

Thanks for coming out, and we hope to see you at the next event!

Techstars Startup Weekend Organizing team [CITY/VERTICAL]

Post-event: Tuesday after event email

SUBJECT LINE: How was your experience with Techstars Startup Weekend?

BODY:

Hi there,

Thank you for attending a Techstars Startup Weekend event! Here [INSERT SURVEY LINK] is a short survey to help us assess and improve our events. It should take no more than 5 minutes. Your valuable observations are what help event organizers and Techstars staff learn and enhance the experience of future events.

Kind regards,

Techstars Startup Weekend [VERTICAL] [CITY] team

Post-event: Thursday after the event

SUBJECT LINE: Don’t forget to complete your short survey and redeem your code for Techstars Startup Weekend [City]

BODY:

Hi there,

Congratulations on completing your Techstars Startup Weekend experience! We hope you had a great time making connections and learning new things.

A reminder to register your details here [INSERT unique Techstars Startup Programs Sign up link] to join the Techstars network to receive further information including what’s next for your journey with Techstars as well as inclusive content/resources for further entrepreneurial development, information about upcoming accelerator programs/events etc.

Remember to complete our short survey here[INSERT SURVEY LINK] to help us assess and improve our events. It should take no more than 5 minutes.

Lastly, you have until Thursday to create your free domain with GoDaddy Registry. Here’s your code ([insert code]) and head tostartup.co.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at help@techstars.com if you’re planning on continuing with your startup idea. Our team can assist you.

Welcome to the Techstars family!

Techstars Startup Weekend [VERTICAL] [CITY] team

Post-event: 10 Days after event start date email

SUBJECT LINE: What’s next after your Techstars Startup Weekend [VERTICAL] [CITY]

BODY:

Hi there,

Even though the event has ended, you still have a chance to redeem your GoDaddy Registry domain using this code[insert code]. The code will expire this Thursday.

So, what's next now that you are a part of the Techstars global community?

Here are 6 ways to stay engaged:

1. Sign up to continue your journey with Techstars and receive further inclusive content

If you haven’t already done so, join the Techstars network here [INSERT unique Techstars Communications Sign up link] to receive further information including what’s next for your journey with Techstars as well as inclusive content/resources for further entrepreneurial development, information about upcoming accelerator programs/events etc.

2. Attend another event

Can’t get enough of Startup Weekend? Maybe you have other ideas to pitch, industries you are keen to understand better, or you just want to meet more like-minded folks. Look for the next upcoming event here!

3. Organize a Techstars Startup Weekend

One of the best ways to keep building in your startup community is to become an organizer. Click here to find out more!

4. Attend a Techstars Meet & Greet

Want to learn more about Techstars and our accelerator programs? We are on a mission to help entrepreneurs succeed and over the past 10 years, we have helped more than 2,400 companies grow and raised $12.3 billion in funding, with a company portfolio market cap of more than $37.8 billion. To learn more, click here.

5. Join the Techstars talent network

If you’re looking to find a job with a Techstars portfolio company (a company that has gone through any Techstars Accelerator program), then hit this link and see who’s looking to hire!

6. Sign up for Startup Digest

Techstars Startup Digest brings you the best startup events and resources. We work with local curators to provide the most relevant content and deliver it via a simple email. Find out more here.

7. Get to know Startup Week

Techstars Startup Week brings entrepreneurs, local leaders, and friends together over five days to build momentum and opportunity around your community’s unique entrepreneurial identity. Find out more here.

Thank you for joining the Techstars Community!

Startup Weekend Online Participant Communication Templates

Click here for more details on Startup Weekend Online Participant Communication Templates.

Email Templates

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Post-event: Monday after event email

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Post-event: Thursday after the event

Post-event: 10 Days after event start date email

Startup Weekend Online Participant Communication Templates

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