SILICON VALLEY FORUM
Silicon Valley
Startup
Educating the next generation of global entrepreneurs
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About Silicon Valley Start-UP
Build a company in just two weeks—the Silicon Valley way! In this intensive startup program, you’ll build a startup from scratch with help from Silicon Valley experts, including investors, VCs, entrepreneurs, company leaders, and more. The program culminates with a pitch night, where you’ll show off your product to a panel of expert judges in front of a live audience.
During this program, you will:
- Meet and work with like-minded entrepreneurs
- Build a complete, ready-to-pitch company in just two weeks
- Learn from mentors and executives from world-renowned companies
- Visit top startup hubs, speak with founders, and gain knowledge and practical insights
- Form lasting global connections through our multi-cultural, team-based work environment
How it Works
All you need is an idea! This program is designed to give you a crash-course in Silicon Valley entrepreneurial life, with connections, access, and opportunities you won’t find anywhere else – using your startup plan as a case study so you can put what you’ve learned to work immediately.
Silicon Valley Start-UP is open to university students and beginning entrepreneurs from any country.
Past Speakers and Mentors
2021 roster to be announced soon!
BeiBei Song
Chief Creative Officer at Essinova
Brett Yokom
California Polytechnic State University Instructor
Brigette Iarrusso
CEO at Master Coach and Lead Consultant
Chris Yeh
Co-author of Blitzscaling
Denyse Cardozo
Executive Director at Silicon Valley Forum
Gail Christine Gannon
Managing Director at WaveEdge Capital
John Stanton
CEO, Coralba USA
Jonathan Baer
Partner at StoneHearth Ventures
Leo Bley
Editor PwC MoneyTree Report on venture financing
Michael Torosian
Partner at Baker Botts
Michelle Messina
CEO and Founder, Explora International LLC
Naeem Zafar
Co-founder and CEO at TeleSense
Peter Mullen
Strategy & Business Development at Topio Networks
Pushpa Ithal
CEO at MarketBeam
Rachel Gabato
COO at Ripe.io
Steve Goldberg
Former Operating Partner, Venrock
Tomasz Kolodziejak
Product & Strategy @ Samsung
Curriculum:
WEEK ONE:
- Decoding Silicon Valley: Silicon Valley’s Startup Ecosystem and the Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Coaching, Communications, and Personal Branding
- Building a Business Plan
- How to (NOT) Screw Up Your Startup!
- Building – and Retaining – a Great Startup Team
- Market Research and Product Validation
- Entrepreneurial Leadership
- Business Communications and Cultural Communications
- AMA With a Company Founder
- Visits to innovative tech companies
- Idea to MVP
- Marketing Strategies
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN—WEEK TWO:
- Big Data: How it Works – and Why You Need It
- Business Development and Partnerships
- Selling Your Product/Service
- One-on-one Mentorship Sessions
- Building a Perfect Pitch Deck
- The Silicon Valley Investor’s Mindset
- How to Raise Capital in Silicon Valley
- Design Thinking
- IP Basics for Startups
- Negotiating Effectively in Business
- How to Pitch in Silicon Valley – with live pitch training!
- Preparation for final pitch presentation—how to pitch onstage to Silicon Valley investors
Companies We Work With
Get in Touch With Our Team
If you are interested in learning more about this program we would love to chat with you!
Sponsor a Student!
Donate a student scholarship in your company name and help the next generation of entrepreneurs kick-start their startup knowledge! Your company will have visible representation on our website, at the event, and on all printed material. As Silicon Valley Forum is part of The SVO, a fully independent 501(c)(6) non-profit organization, a portion of your ticket and sponsorship donation is tax deductible. Contact Denyse Cardozo for details.
