Following on the success of the last SUC, there is a new online and meet up group forming. Here are the details:

The inaugural Canberra Startups meet will be a friendly, social chat over some drinks. No structure or speeches, just a good entrepreneurial bit of socialising and sharing of information. Bring along any ideas you have for future events. And do come say hello when you arrive - google me for a pic :-)

Please use hashtag #canberrastartups if twittering :-)

Canberra Startups drinks

When: 6:30pm Wednesday 25th august.

Where: Edgars Inn http://www.outincanberra.com.au/edgarsinn

Start Up Camp Canberra is finished for another year, but we hope the marvelous spirit of excitement and invention remains.  Several of this year's participants are committed to running regular meet-up groups of current and aspiring tech entrepreneurs.  If you want to be part of this list, please contact us.

In the meantime, videos and pictures from this weekend are now online.

Start Up Camp Canberra Wrap Up Event is soon-- 12pm today, downstairs lecture theatre, Hedley Bull Centre, ANU (Bldg 130).  Then celebrate the wrap up with drinks and lunch.

PARTICIPANTS-- Please complete our event survey, now open

Click here to take survey

This question has been the subject of some controversy here at SUCCII HQ.   At Lighthouse, we strongly encourage business planning, market research and testing before spending money on executing an idea.  The majority of our clients are subject matter experts, not technologists.  So, execution often requires resources that must be engaged.  This, of course, costs money:   a very scarce resource in any start up.

Some of my technologist friends here at SUCC feel differently-that they should just 'build something, already' and if it works, it works.  They passionately argue that, 'if you build it, they will come' and if they don't, at least you've built something and learned in the process.

I suspect that as with most things in life, neither point of view is absolutely 'right' or 'wrong'.

Suffice it to say, 'just building it' is really the point of SUCC.  However, we are encouraging our participants this weekend to also think critically about the business model.  "How could this idea make money?"   "Could you convince an external investor (not your parents) to give you actual money to build this idea properly?"

In defense of our now very tired participants, I must say that this is a difficult question when also under time pressure to launch a live site.  Nevertheless, all of these questions and seemingly contradictory pressures are the reality of a tech start up-of, actually, any business.

They're up and running....

After some tremendous pitches last night, all the groups are busy creating logos, wireframes, content and press releases.

The energy in the room is dialled up to 11!!!

Check out these fantastic new ventures...

itubecover.com - get your cool environmentally-friendly protective iPhone cover entirely made from recycled materials

mywardrobe.me - can't decide an outfit...take the easy option...browse through your wardrobe online

thumbtips.com.au - any topic, any time, the more controversial the better, you give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down

ilickit.com - product reviews made interesting, lick 'em or flick 'em with ilickit.com!

isplit.com.au - after world peace, surely this is needed. No one in your circle will ever dare not pay their share again