Two months ago I left New Zealand en route to Malaysia to Facilitate 7 Startup Weekends throughout the country. It’s been amazing – the food, the people, the heat, the buzz of a new culture – everything has been an experience. But some things more than others – hence ‘my experience as a VC’
Knowing the Startup Weekend format back to front, you get to know the types of people that attend – or so I thought. When I arrived from New Zealand, I was expecting the same ‘rock n roll’ events we run in New Zealand. Fast moving, hard hitting and energy filled. That wasn’t the case. The events in Malaysia were slow, with students needing a lot of hand holding to get going.
Over the weekends we’ve had 600+ students attend. Some big thinkers, some small – most will zero to little experience in business. All the events are for students (who are used to working long, drawn out assignments – mainly theory) so this was a BIG learning curve for them. The task of pitching an idea Friday and presenting a finished concept Sunday was a huge mindset change. Of course, problems did arrise:
- Teams were built around good friends, not the right members
- Ideas that were ‘uncommon’ weren’t chosen (except for ‘Winner Lesbians’ – but that’s another story!)
- People sleept during the weekend
- We finished at set times, and
- Teamwork was taken to the next level – with 6 team members working on the same computer creating a powerpoint presentation!
FYI – I am not a VC. But I’ve felt like one over the past weeks – experiencing the people, ideas and mindset from students around the country (as seen below).
I’ve heard 150+ presentations – some great, some with potential and some that are average. Too often I heard the same ideas over and over and over again – It’s sad. That said, it’s only the start of a movement. Entrepreneurship is new with these students, so there’s lots of room for growth, but I can only imagine how VC’s and Angels feel getting pitched ‘unique’ or ‘must have’ ideas and businesses every day. It’s draining.
I’d like to send a big thank you to Warisan Global & Digi Mobile for bringing me over to support Social Entrepreneurship in Malaysia. I’ve learnt a lot, and can’t wait to come back.
