Startups meet in Tampa next weekend

Members of the Gulf Coast's burgeoning startup community will come together next weekend at a combination networking and idea-sharing event in Tampa.

Startup Weekend Tampa will be held from July 8 to July 11. Roughly 70 attendees have registered for the event, according to event organizer Susie Steiner. Mentors, guest speakers and volunteer staff will push total attendance to more than 100 people.

While the event's website offers up a loose guide for nearly 12 hours of activities on Saturday and Sunday, the approach from organizers seems to be less focused on micro-management, and more about allowing creative minds to interact and share over the course of a weekend.

For example, from 2 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, the only plan on the agenda is for mentors to provide one-on-one help to attendees. To quote the event's website: “If you are an agenda-driven person, Startup Weekend might not be for you. You make the agenda based on the people, ideas and mood.”

Steiner promises there will be awards for startups that offer superior pitches and products to the event's handpicked panel of judges. Among the judges is Chris Coyier, an employee with Wufoo, a Tampa-area startup that was recently acquired for $35 million.

Additional details are available at the event's website, at tampa.startupweekend.org.