I’m Alex Pineda. I’m a software developer in Hamilton over at Mabel’s Labels. I do a whole lot of coding, QA, learning and appreciating what I have. I’ll be talking about ServiceStack this Thursday at the meetup. I blog and tweet. Follow me!

For those considering attending this years Startup Weekend, it’s difficult if not impossible to know what to expect. Even the name Startup Weekend is surprisingly opaque. I think first and foremost you should understand, what is a Startup? After that, you can start to digest just why this event is so unique and wonderful for all those who attend. It’s hard to succinctly name or describe it but here I try to offer just a little insight. I would say, quite generally, that Startup Weekend is where you go to make the intangible tangible.

Startup Weekend is a gathering. It’s people that love the success story. People that love hearing about 4 moms figuring a way to beat the lost & found and then happily serving hundreds of thousands of customers for 10 years and on. Or how about Julie Allison of Eyebobs eyewear, fulfilling her own need (as many founders do), controlling growth to suit her lifestyle and building an amazing product to serve others with similar needs of affordable corrective lenses. Or how about a software product example with Bingo Card Creator. A simple straightforward product with good UX gets you a long way, and not to mention very satisfied customers. Startup Weekend brings exciting people around exciting ideas for an entire crash course on learning, hustle, team work, business development, product development, and friendly competition.

Everyone has a different reason for going to Startup Weekend. I think you should go for any of the following reasons:

A) Networking. Meet new people, and learn what they do, and get inspired. We don’t bite.

B) Skill Development. Focus on your key talent and help a team with your skill set. Feel good about your contribution. It can be anything from social media, copywriting, design, negotiation, you name it.

C) Self Discovery. Focus on something you normally would never do, be it coding, marketing, face-to-face customer discovery etc.

D) Product Development/Enhancement. Focus on your existing product idea and have others help you build it and possibly improve on it. You’ll be surprised what others can throw in into the mix if you let them.

Last year I went to put my coding skills to work. I had the honor of being a winner alongside Mohamed El Mahallawy, Bilal Husain, Shawn McTigue (co-founder of Mac Entrepreneurship) and the rest of the Nervu crew that year. We had great discussions and ideas. We all watched the product (and presentation) change and evolve before our eyes. It was an awesome experience and one I want to experience again.

This year the venue will be at the new and spacious Radius Cafe on James street south. This year my focus will be on product development and code. I will be pitching an idea and hope to win the ability to work on my product with many of you talented folks. Come be a part of something awesome and come to Startup Weekend Hamilton 3 on Friday April 26th til Sunday April 28th.

Business is about life, and Startup Weekend celebrates that with a passion.