I’m not really sure where I first heard about Startup Weekend. It could have been TechCrunch, or perhaps Brad Feld. Regardless, when I heard about it I decided that Atlanta needed to host one to foster its startup community.

I reached out to Andrew Hyde, the guy that came up with the Startup Weekend concept, back in July. Andrew told me one of the biggest issues was finding a place to hold the event. ATDC agreed in short order to be the host. Startup Weekend is coming to Atlanta on November 9.

Well what exactly is Startup Weekend? According to David Cohen, who was Andrew’s sounding board, the concept is to get a bunch of crazy hackers, marketing types, user experience people, and business geniuses in one room starting on a Friday evening and launch a “real” live startup by Sunday night with no budget beyond good will and human capital (and perhaps some sponsors).

To me it seems to be a bit more about the experience than the actual end product (though I would like to show the world what Atlanta can do).

Like David said, the idea is a little wacky. So wacky that it makes sense for Atlanta. That is why I am putting in the effort to make it happen.

If the concept is appealing to you and you are willing to put in some real work for nothing guaranteed beyond the experience, registration is how open. Please only sign up if you can dedicate the time for the entire weekend and add real value by blogging, coding, designing, planing, thinking, or writing about this for three days straight.

You can follow developments on the Startup Weekend Atlanta blog and FoG. Or of course drop me a line anytime to find out more.