Algeria Hosts the First All-Women Startup Weekend
The latest in Startup Weekend's new women-focused events, Startup Weekend
Algeria was the first event of its kind to feature a 54-hour
weekend intensive composed only of women.
The event Thursday, April 18th “was the first ever
Startup Weekend Women edition with no men involved in the
organization at all,” pointed out Marion Desmazières, a Startup
Weekend organizer originally from Paris, who flew in from Seattle
to help organize the event. “True, we had Startup Weekend Women
editions in San
Francisco, Seattle,
London and Singapore in the
past, but their organizers accepted male coaches and male attendees
who signed up with women.”
This time, however, local organizer Nassima Berrayah wanted the 55
women who attended to get comfortable over the first three days, so
that they would feel absolutely comfortable pitching their ideas to
strangers on the final day, which was open to the public.
True to the style of all Startup Weekends, the three-day event
began at Cyberparc of Sidi
Abdallah in Rahmania with an icebreaker and then a “pitchfire,”
in which 24 ideas were pitched and 10 projects were formed. Topics
ranged from e-commerce for antiques to e-learning platforms,
babysitting websites to car repair business, says Desmazières.
Throughout the weekend, “working with other women judges and
coaches boosted their confidence,” says Berrayah. “Many of the
women arrived not being sure of their ability to build a technology
product, but by the end, we helped them understand how far they
could go.”
“They felt really confident and able to go out of their comfort
zones,” says Desmazières. “Many girls removed their hijab because
they were only with women, and the first night, they spent a
sleepness night together, building their projects. I think everyone
left the event with 54 other friends,” she illustrates.
The top three teams, awarded on Saturday, April 20th,
spanned typical topics presented at Startup Weekends:
First place: Dalil Med: an online repository for
professionals in the health industry (winning team pictured
above).
Second place: Teach me: a virtual platform for connecting students and teachers.
Third place: Covoiturage DZ: a car-sharing
service
While Startup Weekend’s motto is that it’s about creating
entrepreneurs, not startups necessarily, this Startup Weekend was
about creating startups, insists Berrayah. All of the winning teams
have contacted her since the event to sign up for the incubation
they won from Cyberparc and take their business to the next level,
she says. Companies incubated at Cyberpark can stay for six to 30
months.
It’s not just that. One mother called Berrayah to explain how
Startup Weekend changed her daughter for the better, she recalls.
“She used to be shy, and now she’s become much more outgoing.”
For more photos, see the event's Facebook page.