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Startup Bus: Bootcamp for Tech Entrepreneurs

By In Technology

Adapted from my 2018 Ignite Talk

For most people in the tech world, life can be fairly drab They sit in cubicles, at insurance companies, writing code, designing their millionth, mind numbing button, or making cold calls to hostile schmucks all day. It’s a job right? Something you have to be paid to do, because no one in their right mind would do this for free.

On the other hand, we have the guys in Silicone Valley, wrapped in hoodies and self righteousness, planning on getting rich and changing the world (not necessarily in that order). But how do you get from cubicle to your dream? Working on what you love?

“I’m never doing this again”

I would like to tell you about one the best dumb ideas of recent history: The StartupBus. A Navy Seal boot-camp training program for tech entrepreneurs. Or so I like to think.

In 2010, my friend Elias, was working in Venture Capital, and wanted to get a bus with a bunch of friends and go to South by South West – the huge film, music and tech conference in Austin. He thought would be funny to semi-mock Startup Culture in Silicon Valley by having everyone on the bus try and build a tech startup in the three days it would take to get there from San Francisco.

It sounded crazy to everyone, but they all had so much fun, that a group of them decided to turn it into a “my-city-is-better-than-your-city” tournament the following year. They all went back to their respective states, and started recruiting riders for a full-blown competition. 

The format is simple: 30 strangers get selected to get on a bus, as long as they are extremely competent and fall into one of three clichéd categories: Hipsters Hackers, and Hustlers: Graphic designers, Computer programmers, and Marketing and Business Development people.

They then get on the bus day one, introduce themselves, and pitch an idea for a startup. Groups then form around the ideas, and then the teams work like crazy, for three or four days, to make an actual business. With REAL products, and even Customers – In three days!

I was first invited to ride the 2011 Miami bus. I worked on two separate teams, competed against 10 other busses, 60 other teams,  and didn’t sleep for four days, and met some of the most amazing people that are still in my life to this day.

Since then, the competition has grown. There are more and more busses every year from more cities, a separate European competition, and I’ve recently gotten back from the inaugural StartupBus Africa trip, which was epic! But why would anyone do this?

Well, most people are just… terrible at their jobs. I assume you’ve found this yourself. But the bus is different. The sheer caliber of the people you meet if off the charts. Everyone works so hard, and is so good at what they do, that there is a feedback loop of inspiration; You WANT to work harder to show that you belong. 

The result is productivity to an extent not seen in the real world. What can you create on a bus in three days? How about a fully fledged, artificial intelligence food ordering system that will automatically order you lunch every day? Yeah, we did that. 

Nomscription – Built in three days. On a bus.

Internet free chat system for disaster areas? Yup. A career matching system for Veterans? Check. Customized cereal delivered to your door? Yup. A full social network for selling what you grow in your back garden – a team from Tampa built that!

And there are hundreds of others. But the bus isn’t all flowers and roses. In fact it is totally awful. And that is one of the reasons it’s so successful. If you can build something amazing in three days next to a chemical toilet, you can do anything.

There is bad food, motion sickness, team melt downs, spotty power and internet access, and every new hell you’d find in a real startup, but compressed into the equivalent of a long weekend.  As a result, you learn to be flexible, to deal with the chaos, and to thrive.

Then there is the physical side.  Try having a normal conversation after writing code for ten hours doing this. Also, after four days without sleep, you can have some pretty inspiring insights, as well as some mind-blowing hallucinations. Not to mention all the caffeine and alcohol.

The pure squalor of the situation, combined with the amazing team work that goes on, binds you so closely to those people, that you instantly have 30 new best friends. I started referring to the processes as entrepreneurial Stockholm Syndrome. 

But the process opens your eyes. A passionate, five person team, working 16 hour days, for four days straight, produce 320 hours of actual work. That’s an equivalent 40 work days of super productivity. 

If you can build a complete product, create marketing materials, pitch decks, business cards, have customers and sales, etc., all in three days, ON A BUS, what could you do if you gave yourself six months?

I bet that you’re pretty amazing. You just can’t begin to realize how freaking amazing you REALLY ARE until you’ve HAD be amazing waste deep in crap and sleep depravation. There are no excuses. Go and build something, right now!

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I help cruise lines turn their technical ideas into reality. I'm experienced in all stages of innovation and technology management. I've also been programing since I was 8 years old, and have somehow retained the ability to have normal human interactions. Occasionally I speak about how Industrial Psychology and Neurophysiology can be interrogated with IT and systems management, because I spend a lot of time thinking about the subject, as strange as that may seem.

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How to Land Your First Tech Job: Or at least what I will tell you

In Technology


Ah, the age-old question that haunts every college graduate’s dreams: “How do I get a job?” But not just any job. A job that doesn’t involve asking, “Would you like fries with that?” unless it’s a cheeky Slack message to your new tech team while deploying code (because, let’s face it, multitasking is key).

So, you’re fresh out of college, armed with a degree, and ready to conquer the tech world. But there’s a catch – everyone wants experience, and you’re fresh out of that. It’s like needing a job to get experience but needing experience to get a job. A real chicken and egg situation, except less philosophical and more annoying.

Now, before you start sending LinkedIn invites to every CEO with a pulse, hoping one of them will notice your enthusiasm (or desperation), let’s talk strategy.

1. Start a Blog – No, Seriously

First things first, start a blog. I give this advice to everyone, and you’re not going to take it, but I will keep trying.

“But I’m not a writer,” you protest. Well, guess what? Neither are most of your competitors when it comes to that job interview. But here’s the thing – writing helps you articulate thoughts, share knowledge, and most importantly, shows you’re committed. Write about what excites you in tech. Dissect the latest AI breakthrough, or maybe just rant about why tabs are better than spaces. It’s your stage. It’ll also help you greatly when interviewing. If you’ve actually researched and forced yourself to write about a topic, it’s WAY easier to talk about it.

If the thought of cranking out 500 words twice a week makes you sweat, consider this: if you can’t commit to a blog, how will you commit to a job? Harsh but fair.

2. Ship Something… Anything!

Next, if you’re a coder, designer, or any species of maker, you need to create something and get it out into the world. A portfolio is great, but a product is better. It doesn’t have to be the next Facebook. Heck, it can be a to-do list app that makes a satisfying ‘ding’ sound when you check off an item. But it shows you can see a project through from start to finish. Plus, nothing beats the thrill of seeing your creation out in the wild, even if it’s only used by three people (including your mom). And three users is way more than what most juniors come to interviews with.

3. Polish That LinkedIn Profile

Ah, LinkedIn, the worse MySpace of the professional world. It might not be the most exhilarating social network, but it’s where the grown-ups and LinkedIn Lunatics go to humble brag. So, get your profile in tip-top shape. Showcase your blog, add a professional photo (no, your beach selfie doesn’t count), and maybe sprinkle in a few insightful comments on posts. Show the world you know how to play the game. It’s only for show as a junior, and everyone knows it, so don’t go overboard.

4. Read. Then Read Some More.

While not the world’s biggest Jim Mattis fan, I got a bit of a kick in the pants after reading his Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead. In it he said “If you haven’t read 100 books on the field in which you claim to be an expert, then you are functionally illiterate.” That was a bit of a wake up call for me as a CEO. So if you’re a junior, lets make that rule “If you haven’t read at least five books about your chosen profession, you’re not ready to be a junior anything.” It’s a bold claim, but let’s face it, you’re competing with people who live and breathe this stuff. Catch up.

5. Network, Even If It’s Painful

Finally, networking. Yes, it’s awkward. Yes, it feels like speed dating but with business cards. But knowing what’s happening in your field and who the players are is invaluable. So, go to those tech meetups, chat with people, and yes, maybe even endure a few boring conversations about someone’s revolutionary blockchain startup. Try and meet one or two people who know me before you reach out to me. Then we can have someone to gossip about, and it’ll feel more personal. Tampa has a few good tech networks that throw decent, free events where you can find people who know me. Check out Tampa Bay Wave, Embarc Collective, and Tampa Bay Technology Forum.

And there you have it. Five steps to improve your odds of landing a job in tech. Most won’t follow this advice, but if you do, you’ll be ahead of the game. And who knows, one day, I might be asking you for a job. Or at least, for some tips on my blog.