Here at Nibletz we talk a lot about startups outside of Silicon Valley. A lot of other publications focus on the coasts, where there is an intense concentration of startup activity. Around here, though, we know that in the 21st century great companies can–and will–be built everywhere else.
BUT…there’s always a but…Silicon Valley is still the leader in startup activity. (I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true.) In that relatively small part of the planet there are more successful investors and entrepreneurs than in any other relatively small part of the planet. And any entrepreneur who is serious about building high growth startups needs to not only acknowledge what Silicon Valley has done, but look to it for opportunities to learn.
Okay, now I’m off my soapbox. Here’s what put me on it in the first place:
General Assembly and LaunchRock are sending someone to the Valley. With their “Break Into The Big Leagues” competition, the two companies have partnered up to offer a sweepstakes of sorts. The winner gets a trip for 2 to San Francisco including:
- Airfare (from anywhere in North America, Europe or Australia)
- 3 nights at an Airbnb property
- Car service throughout the trip
- Tours and meetings with the hiring managers at Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Airbnb
- Career mentoring from General Assembly and InternMatch
- One-on-one coffee meetings with “Silicon Valley VIPs”
To enter, just hand over your email address here.
Now, it’s not uncommon for companies to use giveaways or contests to grow their mailing lists, but General Assembly and launchrock are going above and beyond. Entrant who don’t win the trip will still get access to interviews with tech insiders on how to break in and the GA class on getting a job at a startup.
We’ve talked about General Assembly before. The New York based organization offers educational programs that “transform thinkers into creators.” LaunchRock is an LA-based startup that helps companies set up “launching soon” pages.