Founders Weekend guide
The playbook
What the weekend is for, the ten principles behind it, who does what, the hour-by-hour, the preflight before doors, and the work that starts Monday.
The Weekend · Part one
Put a priced product in front of customers. What every kid walks out with and the story you tell on stage.
Principles · Part two
Ten things worth naming. The shortest useful page here, and the one to reread on the drive over.
Roles · Part three
MC, workshop guide, mentors, ambassadors, ops. Everyone knows their job before doors open.
Run of Show · Part four
Hour by hour, doors to the closing awards. Every block, who leads it, and what it's for.
Event Ops · Part five
Format, the box, payments, safety and legal, the summer calendar. Everything true before doors.
After · Part six
The 48 hours, retention, and the Monday retro. The weekend is the hook; this is the business.
Run mode · jump to it
What are you running?
- The Opening SessionEvery kid leaves knowing the five things they walk out with on Sunday and how to get there.6:30 PM-7:00 PM
- Idea GenerationGenerate volume, then commit to one. Nobody leaves this block undecided.7:00 PM-8:30 PM
- MVP BuildingEveryone leaves the Saturday sprint with a live URL. Students who finish ideation early may begin the same fast track as soon as they have a team.10:30 AM-11:00 AM
- Offer DesignTurn an idea into something with a price, a cost, and one exact buyer. This is the business-acumen layer and it's where most people stop.11:30 AM-12:00 PM
- Sales & OutreachEvery student walks out with more channels than time and a documented list of who they're contacting in the next hour.2:00 PM-2:30 PM
- The PitchEvery student can tell the story of their weekend in three minutes and has a 90-day plan they can run.10:30 AM-11:30 AM
The gates
- Friday
Leave with one chosen idea, a clear team decision, and a fast track ready for students who want to begin building tonight.
- Saturday
By end of day: a live URL, a designed offer, a 20-name outreach list, and 10+ conversations attempted.
- Sunday
Close the outreach gap, build a real 90-day plan, pitch your results.