GRAND RAPIDS ? More than a dozen entrepreneurs have signed up so far for Startup Weekend West Michigan, a three-day networking exercise that organizers hope will produce two or three actual project ideas that could turn into companies.

The program begins Friday night Feb. 26 when organizers hope 50 entrepreneurs will pitch their ideas to their fellow entrepreneurs who will invest make believe money in what they think are the best ideas. The top two or three will be coached on Saturday and Sunday by financial types, managers, lawyers and other professionals.

“A dozen or so signed up now, with 30 or 40 other people saying they will sign up,” said Aaron Schaap, Co founder of Elevator Up and The Factory, a business incubator, where Startup Weekend will be hosted. “It costs $40 to attend and that includes speakers, T shirts, meals, and drinks.”

Speakers haven’t been announced yet, but three “seasoned entrepreneurs” who have developed products, brought them to market and raised investment capital will be featured, Schaap said; one Saturday morning, one Saturday afternoon and one Sunday.

“We’re trying to help companies get to the next stage,” he said. “The weekend is not just for web tech companies, but any company looking to develop a business process. We?re seeking new ideas, new ventures.”

Working closely with Startup Weekend West Michigan is Momentum, a new West Michigan incubator/accelerator program developed by Rick DeVos, the grandson of Amway co founder Rich DeVos.

Momentum is a pre-seed stage funding and incubation program that provides initial investments, mentoring and business launch assistance to entrepreneurs who have innovative web technology and application ideas. The application deadline is Feb. 12.

Momentum was launched spring 2009 as a partnership between The Windquest Group, Pomegranate Studios, and the economic development group Lakeshore Advantage. It has since grown into a collective of entrepreneurs, investors, business professionals, universities, and entrepreneur support organizations, all with a shared vision – to retain Michigan’s talent, launch new tech ventures, and help cultivate our region?s entrepreneurial community and culture.

For more information on Startup Weekend, click on WMI.Startupweekend.org

For more information about Momentum, click on Momentum-MI.Com

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