The 10th Startup Weekend Spokane, a 54-hour event in which entrepreneurs pitch business ideas, kicks off this weekend at Avista Corp.’s headquarters, at 1411 E. Mission, starting 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 and ending Sunday night.

Participants will have an opportunity to pitch ideas, or join a business team to support someone else’s ideas, says April Needham, who works at Avista Corp. and serves as what Avista refers to as a community-loaned executive to Greater Spokane Incorporated.

Needham serves on the Startup Weekend Spokane planning committee and works as Startup Spokane’s community manager.

“The premise is to come to the event and develop ideas throughout the course of the weekend,” Needham says. “All participants get a chance to make a 60-second pitch, and then the audience judges what it thinks are the best ideas.”

The 10 to 12 best ideas are selected at the end of the Friday night activities. 

On Saturday, the finalists and their supporters spend the day working together to conduct market research on their ideas while consulting with current members of the business community about financial and legal matters associated with starting a business.

At the conclusion, three business plans will be selected, with the winners receiving $3,000 in legal assistance from Spokane-based intellectual property law firm Lee & Hayes PLLC as well as free membership to Startup Spokane, Needham says.

Companies created in past Startup Weekends include iCPooch, Beardbrand, and Spiceologist.