First in University Entrepreneurship

3 Day Startup (“3DS”) teaches entrepreneurial skills to university students in an extreme hands-on environment.

This proven program provides students the tools they need to start successful companies. Over 4000+ 3DS alumni from 75 programs across 4 continents–including programs at Harvard, MIT, Technion and ESADE Business School–have started more than 71 companies that have collectively raised $15 million in investor capital. The 3DS program creates a living entrepreneurship laboratory on university campuses bringing together students ranging from freshmen to freshly-minted PhDs; backgrounds include computer science, business, engineering, law, design, and others. Participants gain experience in cross-disciplinary collaboration, brainstorming and ideation, group productivity, ad-hoc leadership and decision-making under severe time constraints.

DAY STARTUP

3 Day Startup | Austin Technology Incubator 3925 W Braker Ln Austin, TX 78759 | www.3daystartup.org3 Day Startup is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

3 Day Startup Program Information Sheet

3 Day Startup | Austin Technology Incubator 3925 W Braker Ln Austin, TX 78759 | www.3daystartup.org3 Day Startup is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

PRogRAm goAlS3 Day Startup is designed with two specific goals in mind: kick-start new student-run companies and build entrepreneurial capabilities in students and their university communities.

BefoRe The 3 DAYS: RecRUiTing AnD WoRkShoPSBefore the 3 day program begins, the organizers of 3DS solicit applications from across the university, often receiving 200 applications from 25+ different majors. After reviewing applications and conducting interviews, the top 45 students are invited to participate in the program. Two weeks prior, 3DS organizers host workshops on how to recognize opportunities in the marketplace, how opportunities differ from solutions, and how to execute the customer-focused 3DS model. 3 Day Startup alumni have succeeded precisely because they have applied a relentless focus on making products and services based on actual customer needs.

The 3 DAYS BeginOn the first day, the participants arrive at the 3DS program site motivated to start new companies: students bring pre-built prototypes or simply an idea for a startup. These projects are usually at early stages; feasibility and business models are unproven. In the first few hours, participants discuss and evaluate their business ideas in smaller groups. During this analysis phase, mentors from around the community provide their insights. Later that evening, participants vote on which ideas (usually 5-7) will become the focus of the remaining time. 3DS facilitators then lead students through a process where students form teams around the remaining ideas. These self-directed program components (voting, team formation) ensure that students feel a sense of buy-in and commitment for the ideas they work on.

hiSToRYIn January 2008, a group of graduate students founded 3 Day Startup at The University of Texas at Austin, which is the home of the flagship 3DS program. Over the past four years, the program has spread from semester programs at the University of Texas at Austin to schools in Texas, New York, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Florida, Alaska, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island. Beyond the United States, 3 Day Startup operates successful programs in China, Chile, Israel, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, France, and Portugal.

3 Day Startup | Austin Technology Incubator 3925 W Braker Ln Austin, TX 78759 | www.3daystartup.org3 Day Startup is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

PRAcTicing innovATion AnD TAlking To cUSTomeRSFueled by free food and caffeine, participants convert their abstract notions of entrepreneurship into the actual practice of innovation late on the evening of day one. With help from mentors, business students model revenue sources and test marketing strategies, computer science students build prototypes, and designers create branding and user interfaces. On the second day, everyone engages potential customers on the streets and over the phones to better understand the need their venture addresses. Day two and three are packed with action–these days are a microcosm of startup life, with the highs of completing prototypes and the lows of discovering better-positioned competitors.

finAl PiTcheS AnD PRoToTYPe DemoSThe ideas that have survived thus far are revealed at the pitches and prototype demos on the final day. A panel of venture capitalists, angel investors, and accomplished entrepreneurs offers feedback. The presentations include functioning prototypes, beta customer responses, and teams comprised of highly skilled and motivated students. The feedback is constructive and extensive: panelists ask tough questions, identify strengths and weaknesses, and give candid advice for the road ahead.

vAlUe BeYonD The 3 DAYS: SUcceSS kiT + gloBAl neTWoRkStudents leave their 3DS experience with the skills, vision, and products and services necessary to accelerate the growth of their businesses. The benefit to participants and their communities is ongoing. 3DS provides access to a world-class network of mentors that can provide guidance in areas such as venture capital, product design, and scaling new ventures. 3DS alumni receive the 3DS Success Kit: a package of services vital to an early stage startup including free hosting from Rackspace, the Microsoft BizSpark/DreamSpark suite, deeply discounted incorporation packages from DLA Piper, Ash Maurya’s Running Lean, the FluidUI prototyping tool, and more.

3 DAY STARTUP gloBAl BY The nUmBeRS 75 programs across four continents, 71 startups collectively raising $15 mm investment,

23 3DS-originated companies accepted to accelerator/incubator programs,

4000+ 3DS alumni from 40+ different majors.

3 Day Startup | Austin Technology Incubator 3925 W Braker Ln Austin, TX 78759 | www.3daystartup.org3 Day Startup is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

meDiA coveRAge3 Day Startup receives greater and greater media coverage each year. 3DS and 3DS alumni companies have been featured in campus and national newspapers like the Financial Times, radio stations, and noteworthy blogs such as Mashable, TechCrunch, and VentureBeat. 3DS was recently featured in Forbes Magazine in a piece on student entrepreneurship.

UniveRSiTY enTRePReneURShiP ecoSYSTem neTWoRkSBeyond relationships with students at dozens of college campuses, 3 Day Startup maintains deep ongoing ties to organizations important to the national and global student entrepreneurship community. 3DS partners with academic institutions (business, computer science, design, law, and other university departments), investors (VC firms, angel groups), incubators/accelerators, and student entrepreneurship organizations. For example, in Austin we regularly engage the Austin Technology Incubator, The Central Texas Angel Network, the McCombs School of Business, the Computer Science Department of the University of Texas, and the UT Technology Entrepreneurship Society. 3DS runs programs and cultivates similar relationships with students and analogous organizations at schools such as the following: