A Tauranga businesswoman is on a mission to increase opportunities for Bay of Plenty school leavers and graduates to join the region's business community.

French teacher and business owner Pascale Hyboud-Peron is this year's lead organiser of the Tauranga Startup Weekend 2014 at Basestation collaborative work space on Durham St, November 7-10.

Tauranga business woman Pascale Hyboud-Peron is this year's lead organiser of the Tauranga Startup Weekend 2014. Photo: supplied.

'For me Startup Weekend has been an ongoing experience of learning by doing and I'm pleased to have this opportunity to share that experience with others,” says the 2013 Startup Weekend winner.

The Startup Weekend teaches and promotes entrepreneurship in the community by bringing budding entrepreneurs, startup enthusiasts, experienced business people and investors together.

During the weekend, they share ideas with 60-second pitches that result in the formation of small teams around the best, most viable concepts.

Teams focus on customer development, validating ideas and building prototypes with the help of experienced mentors. They then demonstrate their products and receive feedback from a panel of experts.

Pascale was appointed to the role following the departure Sheldon Nesdale, who founded the annual event in 2012.

'Throughout the collaborative activities I took part in at last year's event; and those that I've been involved in since, I've developed a strong sense of belonging to this exciting community,” says Pascale.

'The earlier our young people get exposed to the lessons Startup Weekend teaches and get connected into the massive experience of our wider business community, the earlier they get started on their journey to independent success.”

Pascale was part of the SpeakEazy team, who were 2013 grand prize winners.

She says this experience, coupled with her teaching and facilitation skills, led Wellington-based national organisers to agree she was the natural choice to take on the 'action-packed” role.

'Taking this on gives me the opportunity to give back and spread the word about the incredible value the weekend delivers, which I have experienced myself.

'Really, if you want to know how to start a business or develop an understanding of entrepreneurship, Startup Weekend is the ultimate intensive learning experience.”

And already the difference in event leadership has created change with a new organising team that backs Pascale's new vision recruited.

'The beauty of volunteers organising Tauranga Startup Weekend all together is that everyone involved gets to lead activities and use and improve their collaboration abilities, each applying their specialised skills.

'It's great to have a whole new team of local doers taking on organising roles, working together and making a difference,” says Pascale, who describes the weekend as an Outward Bound for entrepreneurs.

'Everyone involved – including, organisers, sponsors, mentors and participants – become part of a community focused on action and success when they join in.”

She says in one weekend, participants go from concept to running businesses with paying customers in 54 hours.

'They plumb the depths of their capabilities along the way, whilst building new skills and relationships.

'But also throughout the lead-up and follow-up to the weekend they meet, learn about and find the resources and likeminded people who can work with them here in their local business ecosystem.”

Startup Weekend global facilitator Dave Moskovitz says many people come to these weekends wanting to build their own business.

'It's incredibly useful for them, and anyone wanting to learn about state-of-the-art business growth techniques.

'One university lecturer told me he thought most people doing MBAs are wasting their time when they could pick up so many practical skills in one weekend,” says David, who's also chairman of a company that manages two NZ market-focused investment funds.

The 100-day countdown to the event has begun this weekend and there are many opportunities to become involved with a schedule of pre and post events complimenting the weekend in November.

Places are limited, to register, visit www.tauranga.startupweekend.org