<p style="margin: 10px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Alright Sans', Lucida, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.265625px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><a href="http://chicago.startupweekend.org/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 255); text-decoration: none;">Startup Weekend</a>&nbsp;is a global grassroots movement of active and empowered entrepreneurs who are learning the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures. It is the largest community of passionate entrepreneurs with over 400 past events in 100 countries around the world in 2011.</p><p style="margin: 10px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Alright Sans', Lucida, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.265625px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The non-profit organization is headquartered in Seattle, Washington but Startup Weekend organizers and facilitators can be found in over 200 cities around the world. From Mongolia to South Africa to London to Brazil, people around the globe are coming together for weekend long workshops to pitch ideas, form teams, and start companies.</p><p style="margin: 10px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Alright Sans', Lucida, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.265625px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">All Startup Weekend events follow the same basic model: anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekends culminate with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.</p><p style="margin: 10px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Alright Sans', Lucida, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.265625px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Whether entrepreneurs found companies, find a cofounder, meet someone new, or learn a skill far outside their usual 9-to-5, everyone is guaranteed to leave the event better prepared to navigate the chaotic but fun world of startups.&nbsp;</p>