Entrepreneurial spirit was encouraged during Mashup Weekend, an event put on by Pulse Pictou County and the Mashup Lab over the weekend in Stellarton. From left are Troy Greencorn, Mashup Lab CEO Andrew Button, Jessica Muir and Jim Proudfoot.
There were 20-some participants in the event which was put on by Pulse Pictou County and Mashup Lab and hosted at the NSCC Campus in Stellarton.
Proudfoot said they started out with 18 ideas that were pitched during the event. From those initial ideas, five were chosen for groups to work on and write a business plan for over the course of the two-day event. Those plans were then presented to a panel of experts who offered advice.
He said it was a great experience for all those involved and it looks like a couple of the ideas may actually become reality.
While about two-thirds of the group were in the young adult category, participants between the ages of 20 and 70 participated. Most of the participants were from Pictou County but a few came from neighbouring areas.
Ideas included everything from ideas for apps to collaborative work spaces, Proudfoot said.
Regardless of whether those businesses succeed, Proudfoot said there were things that people could take away from it.
“I think one of the things a lot of the people talked about was how quickly ideas can be generated and how quickly ideas can turn into tangible plans,” he said. “I know some people came wondering about entrepreneurship and left with the confidence to start something.”
For the participants coming up with a business idea and formulating a plan of action isn’t such a mysterious thing anymore.
“I think people really enjoyed themselves. It’s kind of amazing what can happen when people get together.”
Proudfoot said he’d like to see more events like this held in the future.
