Google and Techstars partnered up and swept into the District on Friday to host Startup Weekend, a 54-hour competition where participants create teams and businesses/products to pitch to a panel of judges at the end.
This isn't the first Startup Weekend that Techstars has run in D.C., but it will be unique: It's the first time the competition will focus on entrepreneurs with hearing impairments.
Google spokesman Peter Schottenfels said it has 250 registrants so far.
"Accessibility on computers and with the internet is a major challenge for many people, and we're excited to see what ideas come out of the group," he said.
Beginning with pitches tonight at WeWork 80 M and continuing through brainstorming, business plan development and prototype creation, the event will culminate Sunday afternoon with demos and presentations.
There are several educational workshops during the event and mentors provide support to teams throughout. All the teams also hear talks by industry leaders and feedback from local entrepreneurs.
The winners are featured on the Startup Weekend blog and receive in-kind awards including Google Drive credits and legal support.
Techstars Startup Weekend is run by local organizers in over 700 cities and 150 countries. This edition in D.C. is full sponsored by Grow with Google, which supports entrepreneurship events and provides free online tutorials and resources for students, teachers, developers and startups.
