Startup Weekend Cluj 2020 — in review
The most difficult decisions we had to take concerning #SWCluj for this edition was whether to cancel or go on with the event. Up to the point people started coming in, and even after that, we were prepared to cancel if the situation requested it.
Fortunately, everything went well, the participants were very cooperative to follow the extra safety & hygienic precautions and eager to work and make the best out of the weekend. As a premiere for #SWCluj, we also had a few mentors joining us online.
Meet the teams
Out of the 32 people who showed up, 13 pitched an idea and 7 teams were formed. Here are the teams, in no particular order:
- allshops — a platform for an universal voucher gift and use it in multiple stores;
- QuizBillionaire — a quiz platform where people can earn money;
- PodcAds — a podcast advertising marketplace;
- Intergrapes — an easy onboarding solutions through a digital app companion;
- Communication Companion — a platform that helps people overcome their public speaking fear;
- DrinkNow — a mobile app built to enable consumers skip the line in clubs;
- Evenso — a marketplace platform that offers group activities and experiences for companies.
The prizes
We have gathered quite a few prizes for our teams, with the support of our partners, as follows.
Coworking space:
- FREE access to @ Tech’n Trade Club
- One month of FREE coworking space @ Cluj Hub
- Three months of FREE coworking space @ Milestone Manastur
- One week for the 1st and 2nd teams, and daily passes for the 3rd team @ House of Colored Giraffe
Conference tickets:
- Two tickets @ The Next Web
- Two tickets @ How to Web
- Tickets for the winning team @ IT Days
Mentorship:
- Three hours of consultancy for each winning teams from Activize
- Two hours of consultancy for each winning teams from Transylvania Angels Network
- Three hours of consultancy for a health focused team, from Fresh Blood
- Three hours of consultancy for each winning teams from Techmatch
- Legal 1-on-1 mentorship time with the Digital2Law team
- Free hours of mentorship from Nordlogic
Workshops:
- Team collaboration workshop from Black Giraffe
- Two days UX/UI workshop for the winning team from Rebel Dot
- Prototyping session with a team of experts from Wolfpack Digital
Subscriptions:
- Three months FREE subscription for the winning teams to Paperform
- Free membership in the Startup Club for 1 year from Cluj Startups
Vouchers:
- Couple massage and entrance to the pool from Riviera Beauty & Spa
- Different packages for hair & beard grooming for the winning teams
- Vouchers for 50 lei value for each member of the winning teams from District of Toast
Meet the winners
The 3 winning teams of the 9th edition of Startup Weekend Cluj are:
1st place: Drink Now
2nd place: Communication Companion
3rd place: Evenso
Podcads has also received a special mention and prizes:
- One month of FREE for coworking space @ House of Colored Giraffe
- Communication & tactical empathy coaching from Black Giraffe
***
As an extra safety precaution, we chose to keep this event going with local (Cluj based) mentors only. We are profoundly grateful to Gina Lupu (CEO @ Wolfpack Digital), Smaranda Ignat (Co-founder @ PropTech Romania), Andrada Persu (Founder @ Alt+Law), Emmett King (Co-Founder @ Transylvania Angels Network), Marius Mornea (Startup mentor), Horia Mircea Botos (UX Researcher @ Global App Testing), for joining us and sharing their valuable insights with the participants.
The event was facilitated by Mircea Vadan, founder of Cluj Startups and Program manager at Spherik Accelerator. The initial mentors’ lineup is still available on the official event’s webpage.
This year’s edition was possible with the support of our sponsors: Telenav, Tech’n’Trade, Wolfpack Digital; partners: Spherik Accelerator, Cluj Startups, How To Web, Cluj Hub, Paperform, Silicon Forest, The Next Web, Nordlogic, District of Toast, Activize, Atelier Cafe, Craftelieri, Digital2Law, Milestone Manastur, Techmatch, Riviera Beauty & Spa, House of Colored Giraffe, Black Giraffe, Barber Shop, IT Days, Rebel Dot, Daisler, start-up.ro, Startups & The City, and partner communities: Codette, Innovating Society, IAA Cluj, Simplon Romania, Lean IN Cluj, Cluj Cowork, Cluj IT, iXperiment, SUPP, Organizatia Tinerilor Medici, Fresh Blood, Define School, FullStack, JCI Cluj, Cluj.AI, Transylvania Institute of Technology, and Codecamp, whom we are extremely grateful to.
The #SWCluj2020 organizing team was: Cristina Juc, Andreea Bercan, Andrada Todea, Andra Bolchis, Paula Suciu, Adriana Potrache, Madalina Sumedre, Diana Tirnavan, Alex Bodea, Calin Sipos, Matt Greenley, Alex Selejan.
Stay safe & (hopefully) see you next year!
