Since my last post, BarCampBlock has raised $2,700 (Slideshare, Laughing Squid, Mohr Davidow Ventures, JS-Kit, Charles River Ventures, TechSmith, GigaOM, LinkedIn and Scripting News), doubling the cash contribution. Good thing too, the number of participants has practically tripled, is rising, might end up doubling from here to 800 -- and everyone will needs the basics of food, shelter, wifi, stickers and t-shirts. Thanks again to in-kind contributors Google (meal), Yahoo (signage) and Meraki (solar wifi!).
Part of what is great about BarCamp is it is Open as in Door. To pull this off we need three things:
- At least two significant in-kind sponsors to step up and cover a meal and the party. Scoble made a great suggestion for HP to Open the Garage. We have more space that we can expand into on the blocks (btw, we do not have a permit to block off the street) and party locations bidding.
- More cash donors. Remember this is a non-profit event, but scaling needs support.
- Participants must register with Eventbright. And show up! Don't let food go to waste. And note that if you don't come to BarCamp Saturday morning, you don't get to come to the party that night.
Now the fun stuff. Here's what I can't predict, but hope happens at BarCamp:
- Some new startups launch that we've never seen before
- A new adhoc standard is created
- Some new open source hack
- A group of people remembers we are about to elect a President and does something about it
- Someone meets an either humble or out-of-place VC and gets to do their thing
- A bunch of people get jobs and even more find causes to volunteer for
- We all remember it is sharing that made the Valley great
