Buspreneurs get ready to rumble

150 entrepreneurs , 6 buses , 4 days – the team behind StartupBus (http://europe.startupbus.com/) know that this is enough time to start a business and to develop a product. And because they don’t want it to be too easy, they’ll do the the whole thing on a bus. On a journey across Europe to Vienna for a chance to pitch at  Pioneers Festival (http://pioneers.io/festival).

On 27th October 2013, over 150 selected “hackers, hustlers and hipsters” will board six buses and begin their journey on a highway hackathon. The goal: founding a business in a bus full of strangers, each of whom bring different talents and ideas.
The “Buspreneurs” will also learn, be inspired and widen their network en route by taking part in workshops, on topics such as business creation and management, led by leading individuals from many well-known high-growth companies (including Google, SoundCloud , Accenture and Elance ).

From the very start, the talented “Buspreneurs” face a clear goal: to pitch their idea at The Pioneers Festival, one of the largest Internet and Tech conferences in Europe. But before they get there, the international teams meet to do battle in Munich, where the semi-finals sort wheat from chaff under the scrutiny of a high-profile panel of judges – investors, entrepreneurs and start-up experts. The winners then only have 24 hours to prepare themselves for the ultimate test – pitching their startup to an international audience, who gather at the StartupBus stage at Pioneers Festival in Vienna’s Hofburg Palace.

This concept is nothing new. It all started five years ago in the USA.  And every year since, buses from all the major cities across the US have brought together young entrepreneurs, who meet at SXSW in Texas to compete for the glory of being named the best startup of the year. Since then, StartupBus has caught the imagination of entrepreneurs globally and is now in it’s 2nd year in Europe, having recently rebranded itself from FounderBus to StartupBus Europe.

Next year, StartupBus will conquer Africa and South America, for which preparations are already in full swing.

Joining the bandwagon
It is still possible to join the entrpreneur jamboree. Applications are open until 20th October via the website http://europe.startupbus.com/apply/. This years cohort will be selected by the StartupBus organisers and some members of last year’s alumni community.

“From the experience of recent years , we know that it depends on a colorful group in the buses . marketing specialists , programmers , business strategists – you not only learn a lot on board from your peers , but also build the ultimate network . We believe in making the selection of candidates, therefore, that we can put together experts from different fields . Ideally, they have all been established or proved their skills in their own projects” comments Julian Riedelsheimer , organizer of the StartupBus Germany and 2012 participant.

StartupBus receives financial support from sponsors such as Accenture and Elance as well as smaller local sponsors.