Startup Pirates
Why join the navy if you can be a Pirate?
Text: Startup Pirates
In the beginning of 2011 Startup Pirates was taking the ?rst steps. By
then the project didn’t have a name
or a structure, it was just a very persistent idea in the founders minds.
They felt that the University was not
preparing the students to create their
own companies and that the different
existing programs/events were more
suitable for the reality of the American market, but not for the rest of the
world. They wanted to show that entrepreneurship is really possible and
has the power to change people’s
lives and contribute to the growth of
the economy.
So, they built Startup Pirates, a oneweek program that enables aspiring
entrepreneurs to get inside the startup world and learn how to develop a
business idea.
With a very hands-on approach and
the support of a large community of
experienced entrepreneurs, we combine workshops and mentoring with
a clear focus on accelerating the development of startups. After the programs, the Startup Pirates network of
partners supports the teams on their
quest to thrive.
You might ask, but why pirates? Well,
to successfully launch a company is
one of the most dif?cult things one
can do. It’s demanding, stressful,
dif?cult and most of the times you’ll
feel distressed. Only someone willing
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Photographs: Startup Pirates
to ?ght, hustle, and work really really
hard will be able to succeed. And who
is more fearless than Pirates?
As a worldwide initiative, Startup Pirates would never grow without having lots of motivated people working
on it. So, each program is organized
by local teams, always respecting the
brand and following the methodology that has been developed, tested
and is continuously improving. These
teams have always the support of a
global team, that provides materials
and expertise in order to keep everything going. All the speakers and
mentors are local entrepreneurs who
are willing to share their knowledge
with the pirates. All the organizers and
guests are volunteers, collaborating
on a non-pro?t basis to ful?ll Startup
Pirates’ mission: to change the world,
one entrepreneur at a time!
Startup Pirates had programs in 7
countries so far, from Asia to South
America, having a bigger presence in
Europe. 20 programs took place in 14
cities, with more than 370 participants
and more than 400 guests. As a result, more than 30 startups were created. All this pirate community is empowering the aspiring entrepreneurs
themselves, but also the ecosystems
that host the programs.
The mission is ambitious and the
goals are wide. But one thing is
clear: the pirates will keep going because, why join the navy if you can be
a Pirate?
Find more about Startup Pirates, how
to become a participant and how to
take the program to your city in www.
startuppirates.org