Registration open for first Startup Weekend in B.R.

Organizers of Baton Rouge's first-ever Startup Weekend are looking for 50 future entrepreneurs to take their new business ideas from concept to reality over the course of one weekend in early April. "Sometimes people can sit on a good idea for years because they just don't know how to take that step of actually launching a business," says Wendy Overton, event coordinator. "The idea of this is, if you're really going to be an entrepreneur, you have to take that step—and we'll show you how."

Startup Weekend will take place at Pleasant Hall on the LSU campus April 8-10. Under the mentorship of experienced local entrepreneurs, attendees will pitch business ideas on Friday evening and present a working business model by Sunday. Guest speakers and business seminars are included.

Startup Weekend is a Seattle-based nonprofit backed by the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship and global corporate partners including Microsoft and Amazon. The event takes place in 120 cities in 35 countries worldwide, and more than 800 real business ventures have been launched via the events over the past three years, according to organizers. Registration and more information is available here. Cost for students is $50, and $99 for non-students. —Steve Sanoski