Eureka Moments

Emad Khan, a member of the second-place team Loopd, shares his experiences at Startup Weekend Dubai and offers his advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs.

“I almost didn’t make it. Despite all the preparations, I took the wrong bus from the Metro station and ended up quite far from the Startup weekend venue. After much walking, another bus ride and more walking, I finally arrived at the venue and my sore feet demanded to know whether Startup Weekend was worth all the misery.

Three intensely creative days with an awesome team and a second prize finish later, the answer is a resounding yes! The most important thing I learned from Startup Weekend is that in order to really start something new or break the monotony of your comfortable routine, you have to unplug yourself from your computer and your couch, go outside and meet other people.

If you’re lucky, you will find others who are just as excited about starting something as you are. If you attend a Startup Weekend, you don’t have to be lucky, you just have to be there. It’s a win-win situation because just by making the effort, you’ve created opportunities, even if they’re not readily apparent.

For me, I now have a lot of exciting work to do for my Startup with talented co-founders who I would never have met otherwise. To anyone still on the fence about attending a Startup Weekend, stop over-thinking, get off Facebook and go make a dent in the world.”

For more info – www.loopdapp.com