What do you expect from Trinidad and Tobago Startup Weekend, we ask Kirk Lashley lead organiser just that.

Kirk Lashley – Trinidadian Tech Entrepreneur

TRINIDAD-Though currently based in Chicago USA, working on this 5th startup WeDeliver.us, Kirk Lashley is always thinking about his home – Trinidad. In fact he plans to return there next year still running his startup and also there to help the Trinidadian and Caribbean Startup ecosystem to grow. It’s his passion. He has kicked off his road back home by being the lead organiser of Startup Weekend in Trinidad which takes place on May 22-24th, 2013 on the campus of the University of the West Indies.
Trinidad and Tobago Startup Weekend is the latest addition to the rash of Startup Weekend franchises that have emerged in the Caribbean over the past two years. Startup Weekend fever has so far caught on with Jamaica, Martinique, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and also Haiti.
We asked Kirk, what are his expectations of  Startup Weekend Trinidad & Tobago. He said…” What we want is to network the people who are already working in the Trinidadian Tech Startup Scene- aspiring and current tech entrepreneurs, developers, designers, business and marketing heads, to encourage a culture of collaboration – sharing ideas and working in teams…and just in essence at the end of the day, we hope it’s the beginning of a community and that also some leaders of that community will emerge from that too.”

StartupWeekend Trinidad

Startup Weekends are 54 hour events where developer, designers, marketers, product and business heads and aspiring entrepreneurs- come together to share ideas, form teams, build products and launch startups. Yes all in a weekend!

Startup Weekend is an ideal space to find out if ideas are viable and also if entrepreneurship is for you. By moving beyond having “great ideas”, participants are expected to create, craft and test a business strategy. Further, the “fail fast, succeed faster” mantra of Startup Weekend makes clear the critical role of agility to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Startup Weekend is an organization with global presence that is sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation and has Google and Microsoft as its partners. A team of local organizers led by UWI’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is collaborating with Startup Weekend’s Head Office in Seattle, U.S.A. to ensure that the Trinidad and Tobago version stays true to the spirit and rigour of the franchise that has been replicated across 300 cities and in over 100 countries.

Want to to enter Startup Weekend Trinidad and Tobago? Click here. Follow Kirk on Twitter here. Keep abreast of upcoming Meetups, Workshops, Classes, Competitions and Conferences across the Caribbean that has to do with entrepreneurship and innovation via Caribbean Startup Digest email newsletter which launches on April 1,2013. Subscribe here. Each Caribbean Startup Digest will also feature a mini profile on a Caribbean Startup. You can submit your Caribbean startups and events  here.

To be open too, just wanted to say that my media organisation ConnectiMass, which owns this media blog has the Startup Weekend Jamaica franchise that will have its first event this year and we have committed to being co-promoters of Caribbean Tech event that promotes entrepreneurship and innovation.