StartupCamp Cologne: Thanks, but no thanks
I’ve just received an invitation to StartupCamp Cologne, due to take place March 3. So far I’ve only taken part in one BarCamp in October 2007 in Munich (here are some impressions, here are more), but it’s certainly been one of the best experiences in my life, for a variety of reasons. It’s not easy for a self-employed father-of-three to take a weekend off, so I’ve missed out on all other BarCamps since then, which I am really sorry about. It’s definitely on this year’s to-do-list.
Which is perhaps why I was really pleased to find an invitation to said StartupCamp. Specialised Camps, such as WordCamp, sound like a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and exchange on a favourite topic.
To keep it short, StartupCamp is nothing short of an absolute disappointment. Basically, it feels like they’ve hijacked the whole camp idea to set up a typical venue where startups meets capital. As for the camp-typical democratic idea, well, this is what’s on offer:
Präsentation von VCs und Startups an Stehtischen. Interessante Start Ups präsentieren ihre Ideen und Konzepte. Für Gleichgesinnte, VCs und Business Angels
Hm. Great. I can present my startup at a some coffee table. How far is that from a BarCamp?
To sum it up: this whole thing feels like a PR exercise, nothing more. It’s nowhere near a BarCamp. It’s not like we can congregate and design the course of the event. Everything’s pre-defined.
I’d really, really LOVE to see a REAL StartupCamp happening which is NOT about funding, but about sharing experiences. I run a startup that is generating revenue NOT from advertising. The past year has been (and still is) very painful, but I feel like there’s plenty to share and I would really like to hear from others’ experiences. Surely companies sponsoring such a BarCamp would stand to benefit plenty more.
Finally, there’s one last reason why I won’t go to any present-yourself-and-get-some-capital parties: sadly (for others) I’m not looking at a potentially huge market with a short-term exit. On the other hand, profitability is just around the corner, and that’s good enough for me. It’s not like I wouldn’t appreciate capital influx, but how many VCs would share my enthusiasm for firefighting?
That’d be one empty coffee table at StartupCamp, so no thanks, and best of luck to all other participants.
PS: no “official” hashtag?
Update: June agrees.
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Welcome to Irakli West's personal pages on the Web. I am Danish, live close to Munich in Germany, and run FWnetz, an online magazine and training resource for firefighters. In real life, I am Regional Manager Northern Europe for Paratech and currently training to become a specialist in Urban Search and Rescue as well as Heavy Rescue (it's fun, challenging and serves a good purpose)
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Hi Rakeman,
pls check my official comment on June’s Blog.
Christian Mueller
Community Manager Startups
Sun Microsystems
@Christian
thx für Message. Wie gesagt, es geht nicht um die Veranstaltung, die ist legitim. Nur das Ganze “Camp” zu nennen weckt halt falsche Erwartungen.