Google has agreed to support the folks behind Startup Weekend to jumpstart and foster startup communities from around the world.
Through a global sponsorship, the search and online advertising juggernaut will enable the expansion of Startup Weekend’s current operations, but there’s a bit more to the story than just that.
The alliance will also facilitate the worldwide rollout of pre-Startup Weekend Google developer workshops and – allow me to quote from the briefing I got – ‘vertical specific initiatives in areas such as education and health’.
Update: here’s Google’s blog post about the partnership:
“Started in early 2008, there are now more than 280 GTUGs in 86 countries that bring tech enthusiasts together via hundreds of events each month.
GTUG members will receive discounted registration for Startup Weekend events and will help run pre-weekend local bootcamps on Google’s developer platforms and tools (e.g., App Engine, Android, Chrome).”
Startup Weekend’s Joey Pomerenke tells me the partnership involves financial sponsorship of the organization, which recently became an affiliate of the Kauffman Foundation. He declined to specify exactly how much we’re talking here, but did say it concerns a ‘significant amount of capital’.
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Earlier this week, we reported that Startup Weekend EDU also received a $250,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
From the press briefing we received:
The initial partnership rollout will begin in cities with active Google developer communities in the form of Google Technology User Groups (GTUGs) and existing Startup Weekend communities. The pre-Startup Weekend GTUG workshops will help develop the technical skills of ambitious entrepreneurs so that they may quickly and successfully implement those skills just days later on real startup projects at Startup Weekend events.
Workshops are already scheduled in Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City, San Francisco, and Dallas, and internationally in London, Buenos Aires, and Sao Paulo, with more cities being added soon.
