Startup Weekend: “I got hooked on entrepreneurship when I met creative people who dared to see the world in a different way”

This post is also available in: Danish

Today, Friday, September 27th, Startup Aarhus in collaboration with American Techstars will kick off a wild 54-hour hackathon – Startup Weekend – where budding entrepreneurs will pitch and develop startups from scratch. Running the show is experienced Swiss mentor and event facilitator Réginald Bein-Aimé. TechSavvy caught up with him for a chat ahead of Startup Weekend 2024.

Read also: Breathtaking Startup Event Coming to Aarhus: “We need to secure the next generation of cool startups” – TechSavvy

Based in Geneva, Réginald Bein-Aimé has always focused on helping entrepreneurs. At the beginning of his career, he didn’t really work with startups. His work mainly consisted of offering branding services or product development. In 2012, he started his own business, a service company in Geneva, which primarily catered to small and medium-sized businesses. To attract attention to the company, they launched an event – Fuck Up Nights. Here, entrepreneurs shared their stories of failures and how they overcame them. It was a new concept that made him known in the ecosystem and opened the doors to a startup community that loves meetups and events.

Almost simultaneously, a friend of his had imported the Startup Weekend concept to Switzerland, and in 2017 Réginald Bein-Aimé joined as a mentor as he was already involved in various acceleration programs and hackathons. He was immediately captured by the idea. After a few years as a mentor, he started facilitating Startup Weekends around local ecosystems in his native Switzerland.

What excites you about startups and entrepreneurs?

When I started university, I was helping entrepreneurs and business owners by offering services like market research. I loved being around creative people – people with big visions, often wild visions – and helping them develop their ideas.

At first I thought I was probably more suited to a corporate career, but slowly I realized that I was passionate about entrepreneurship. I wanted to be the platform that others could use to launch their own projects. This is where I really got hooked on entrepreneurship as I met so many different and creative people who dared to see the world in a different way.

What is the best thing about the Startup Weekend concept?

I actually started participating in hackathons before I got involved with Startup Weekend, and at first I thought it was the same thing. But I quickly learned that Startup Weekend is very much about learning. It’s a controlled experience where participants can simulate what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, but without the big risks. It’s like a game version of reality, where participants are fed, guided and have the opportunity to interact with other founders and mentors.

What is your role as a facilitator during Startup Weekend?

My role as a facilitator is to guide the participants throughout the weekend. I make sure they understand the rules and what is expected of them. Friday is about getting as many ideas as possible and then the participants vote on which ideas to work on. Saturday is about working on the ideas and receiving feedback from the mentors. My job is to make sure that no one is demotivated by the feedback and to keep everyone’s motivation high. Sunday is about getting the participants to pitch their ideas and I make sure they are ready to present them on stage.

How did you become a facilitator at Startup Weekend in Aarhus?

This year my big goal was to facilitate an event abroad. When the opportunity in Aarhus came up, I applied right away. I’m a big fan of Denmark, so it felt like the stars aligned and I was selected. So now I will spend a weekend facilitating potential startups in Denmark. I haven’t participated in a startup weekend outside of Switzerland before.

How do participants get the most out of Startup Weekend?

The most important thing is that they stay on site and are willing to interact. Talking to the mentors and the other participants is part of the experience. Many people underestimate the importance of networking and that’s something they can really get out of a weekend like this. If they fully commit to the 54 hours of Startup Weekend, they can learn so much and make invaluable contacts.

What can concepts like Startup Weekend do for local ecosystems?

An event like this helps bring the ecosystem together, no matter how small. There are many different roles – participants, organizers, volunteers, mentors and jury members – who all play an important role. It’s also a way to bring out new ideas and build community in the entrepreneurial community. I think it’s a great opportunity to see where people stand in terms of entrepreneurship and it gives a snapshot of how technologically competent people are.

What is your relationship with startups in Denmark and the rest of the Nordics?

Although I haven’t participated in a Startup Weekend in the Nordics yet, I have been involved with Nordic startups in different ways. For example, I have participated in an incubatorAn incubator is a supportive environment that helps early-stage startups by offering resources, mentorship, networking opportunities, and a physical workspace. More acceleratorAn accelerator is an intensive program that provides startups with mentorship, education, resources, and sometimes funding to accelerate their growth. More in Stavanger, Norway, and I have also participated as a mentor in one of Techstars’ accelerators in Stockholm. I have previously coached various Nordic startups. So in different ways I have a connection and an insight into Nordic ecosystems.

What are your expectations for Startup Weekend in Aarhus?

My expectation is that participants have fun and have some thought-provoking experiences. I want them to leave feeling that they have learned something new and that they can take the tools they have gained with them. If they get that feeling, then the weekend has been a success.