Inspiring, Sometimes-Crazy StartupBus Rolls into LeWeb Conference in Europe

Kira M. Newman December 9, 2011 Tweet

StartupBus, which invites entrepreneurs to build prototypes while traveling cross-country, is at the LeWeb conference (December 7-9) in its first European tour.

You can meet us at the conference, but you can also meet us at the bus. We can show you around and you can meet our startups, get demos or offer your investment money to your favorite startup.

Along the way, the “buspreneurs” stopped in Amsterdam for a launch party, in Copenhagen and Berlin for pitch competitions with Startupbootcamp, and in Zurich at Google’s European headquarters.

Twelve buses are headed to SXSW in 2012 – and if you’re thinking about joining, you’re in for a fun trip.

For example, riders on this month’s StartupBus include serial entrepreneurs from the Netherlands, former catwalk models from Greece, and an open-source software leader from Norway – who drink, sleep, and laugh together as they build startups. According to founder Elias Bizannes:

People go through cycles of feeling frustrated and wanting to quit to accomplished and proud as the tour progresses. One minute you’re feeling sick and fall asleep for an hour and the other minute there’s a one-minute dance party happening on the bus.

[Something] crazy and unexpected was the hotel room on the second night in Switzerland that had a shower with clear glass facing into the room, a toilet without a lock, and discovering the three bedroom option actually was one single bed and a double bed. That was kind of awkward actually.

But more seriously, joining a StartupBus means finding a community of entrepreneurs to share your optimism and energy with, and meeting other inspiring people along the way. This is why Bizannes concocted the idea of startup-building on the road.

StartupBus was previously spotted in two voyages across the United States. Look for registrations for the SXSW buses in March.