Overview
Stepping into entrepreneurship
My intent after college was to practice law. I had always been fascinated by technology, but I (misguidingly) thought that the opportunity wasn’t available to me because I wasn’t an engineer. Then someone told me about a new startup event in Boston called Startup Weekend. I attended, and it significantly changed my life for the better.
What I Did
Organizing. Mentoring. Facilitating. Coaching. Learning.
After attending that Startup Weekend in Boston, I was inspired to get even more involved. For several years, I organized more than a half-dozen Startup Weekend events, primarily in Connecticut. As an Organizer, I was responsible for all aspects of the event: raising funds from local organizations; finding and recruiting coaches who could support attendees; working with food vendors to make sure we were going to get fed through the weekend; negotiating building closure times with facilities management, and much more!
After organizing events for several years, I was asked to be a Global Facilitator by Startup Weekend. Being a Facilitator meant mentoring other Startup Weekend Organizers (experienced and new folks alike), but it also meant traveling to events around the world and serving as an emcee and attendee resource.
The Result
Supporting startup ecosystems around the world!
Sure, I could talk about the fact that I worked with community leaders in more than 50 cities around the world to help build new startup ecosystems. I could mention that my average NPS score from these engagements was about 9.4. I could even bring up that I was selected to help facilitate one of the largest Startup Weekend events in the world in Malaysia that was sponsored by the US Department of State. But I won’t do that.
Instead, I’ll tell you a story of something that happened to me at one of my Startup Weekend events that I am happy to tell you was not unique to my experience:
I was asked to facilitate a Startup Weekend at a university in the northeast United States. I, of course, went through my facilitator deck before the event started, making sure I had included all the local sponsor logos and organizer headshots. The event started and I kicked it off with one of my usual warm-up activities. We finally got to the point during the first evening when attendees have the opportunity to pitch their idea in order to attract team members for the weekend. I usually push as many people to pitch as possible, even if the idea is made up on the spot, given that delivering a pitch is a good skill, in itself. It was in doing this that I encountered a pleasant surprise.
A father had brought his young daughter to Startup Weekend. She couldn’t have been more than seven years old. But she saw everyone else delivering a pitch, and with some enablement from her dad, she took my hand as we walked to the front of the room and proceeded to deliver a pitch for a new toy that she had thought up.
The entire room erupted in applause. Her willingness to take a risk and do something entirely outside of her comfort zone, especially at her age, was inspiring to all. Not only did her bravery inspire others to follow suit, but when it came time to team formation a few of the participants chose to work with her through the weekend to prototype the toy and helped her deliver a final presentation on Sunday evening.
As much as I gave myself to these communities, what I got back in return from immersion in cultures around the world and the personal connections I made cannot be matched.
``Brien's extensive experience has allowed him to impact countless community members over the years. Brien is not only an expert in his field, but he is also empathetic and perceptive, allowing him to facilitate opportunities for community members to explore their creative capacities and their drives to innovate.``
