> I don't really understand the concept of this Startup Weekend. Very few Startup Weekend companies last more than a few weeks after the event ends - it's rare

> I don't really understand the concept of this Startup Weekend. Very few Startup Weekend companies last more than a few weeks after the event ends - it's rare that they turn into a 'real company'. I (and many other people) view it as an opportunity to meet new people, toss around ideas, work on an interesting project for a weekend, and solve problems that you wouldn't otherwise be exposed to. > People come with ideas, volunteers work their asses off to make it happen, then the idea guy gets all that stuff for free as well as a monetary award for having had the best volunteers donate their code to him? I've done numerous Startup Weekends, and the usual result is that winning teams split the prizes. Team members can continue building it if they want to, but usually teams just go their separate ways. When you grow to a certain size, there are bound to be some unhappy stories. I think Startup Weekend is an awesome event, although I can understand why it wouldn't appeal to some people.