In good company

Techstars Startup Weekend: Accelerating innovation, one weekend at a time

Photo: Jordan Huzevka (second from left) and the Synthia team at last year’s Techstars Startup Weekend

MOST TOOLS SPEND more time sitting idle than being used. For Jordan Huzevka, that reality was an opportunity. “We had access to equipment all the time growing up,” recalls Huzveka. “We’d share it with neighbours we knew, but not with people we didn’t. That’s where I saw a gap.”

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In his market research, Huzevka soon realized there was no trusted way to share tools and other items beyond immediate circles. And in that, he saw the foundation for what would become Next-Door Rental, an online marketplace designed to connect neighbours with the resources they already have.

Today, the platform allows individuals to monetize idle assets (from tools and sporting gear to event props) while helping others access what they need without the cost or commitment of ownership. “We help neighbours monetize their idle assets so someone else can complete a project or host an event,” Huzevka explains. “The idea itself may be simple, but the execution, like most marketplaces, is not.”

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That early traction was further supported through the i.d.e.a. Fund program, which provided both financial backing and strategic guidance at a critical stage of growth. “It definitely helped financially, and the bespoke advisory by former founders was valuable. Working closely with TechAlliance’s entrepreneur-in-residence and business advisor, Dr. Martin Smith, helped us focus on the next stage of growth,” says Huzevka.

That same hands-on, build-and-learn approach is what led Huzevka to seek out new environments to test his thinking beyond his own venture.

With a background in architecture, Huzevka is always up for a challenge, be it in building against time or working on tight timelines. With Next-Door Rental already in motion, Huzevka decided to apply for a weekend-long sprint at Techstars Startup Weekend, hosted by TechAlliance and supported by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).

London’s inaugural Techstars Startup Weekend was a 54-hour immersive experience inviting builders, developers, visionaries and storytellers to come together with people unknown to them in cross-functional teams to start something amazing.

For Huzevka, Techstars Startup Weekend wasn’t about advancing his own company; it was about stepping into a completely new idea and seeing how far it could go in just a few days. “I thought it was a great opportunity to network,” he says. “But I also liked the idea of building something in a weekend and just seeing what happens.”

Thinking back to the weekend, Huzevka describes his gravitation towards a concept in AI-powered research platform, which was presented on day one of this immersive experience. Helping students research better for thesis and assignments by leveraging AI, Huzevka joined the team leading the business idea called ‘Synthia’.

Like any other business in the real-world, the team had one of the most defining moments early on in their journey when the founding group stepped outside the room and sought direct feedback from researchers on a college campus. What they heard forced them to rethink not just the product, but how it would work as a business that monetizes its product. “That’s when we started exploring a freemium model to drive growth, with pricing structured around usage,” Huzevka explains.

There were other pivots, too. Some driven by feedback from 20-plus industry mentors at Techstars Startup Weekend, others by assumptions that didn’t hold up. At one point, the team even shifted direction based on the belief that another group was building something similar. “It turned out they weren’t,” Huzevka recalls, laughing. “But we pivoted anyway.”

While the weekend was about building smart and fast, it was also about preparing for the final pitch on day three. Huzevka thinks back to the experience, being the one delivering the pitch on the main stage along with the visionary who brought this idea forward on day one. “It was one of my first times pitching to a decent-sized crowd, and I couldn’t get through one sentence smoothly when we started rehearsing the pitch,” he says. “Over time though, I realized I didn’t need to memorize everything, I needed to tell the story of a defensible business.”

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Still, for Huzevka, the most lasting impact of Startup Weekend wasn’t the pitch or even the idea itself. It was the people. “The connections were huge. We still talk as a team and stay connected, months after the experience,” he says. “I found people from that experience who help guide me, challenge my thinking and open doors for my venture.”

Applications are open for the next Techstars Startup Weekend in London from May 29 to 31, 2026. Whether you’re bringing an idea or just the curiosity to explore one, it’s an opportunity to build, test and see where it takes you, all in 54 hours.

On the fence about signing up? Huzevka shares his words of wisdom: “Just do it. It’s going to be one of the best experiences if you’re an entrepreneur or thinking of pursuing entrepreneurship.”

Learn more about Techstars Startup Weekend at techalliance.ca. Article courtesy of TechAlliance