By Seaborn Larson/The Daily Inter Lake

A roundup of hopeful entrepreneurs, designers and developers is returning to the Flathead Valley for its second helping of a Google-affiliated startup workshop.

The second Glacier Startup Weekend will be Oct. 9-11 at Flathead Valley Community College.

“Glacier Startup Weekend helps to demystify the business startup experience and what it is like to be an entrepreneur,” said Mike Kazmier, a Glacier Startup Weekend organizer. “I think people have a lot of apprehension about the startup work and what it takes to be an entrepreneur.”

The 54-hour event is a sprint through the process of developing ideas into marketable products.

Participants form teams around a handful of ideas determined by popular vote. Whoever has the best business model and product by Sunday will win exposure and marketing prize packages.

“They have access to those mentors and coaches and get valuable network experience with them,” said Lara Russell, communications manager at Montana West Economic Development. “Even those who didn’t win, we were able to connect them and their ideas to someone at the startup weekend.”

Last year’s winner was the Hero of the House, a company looking to produce tutorials of do-it-yourself home maintenance and provide a small toolbox product.

Second and third places featured a beet-sugar manufacturer and a line of ceramic products. Other ideas at the startup weekend included a handful of technology ideas such as navigation systems and restaurant games.

Last year’s winner received several hours of free marketing, business and legal consultation, gift cards for continuing education at FVCC and gift cards to local businesses.

“It’s a place where you can find out if your idea is actually viable and inspire those entrepreneurs to take the next step,” Russell said. “It shows that people have already had success starting a business right out of their back yard.”

Local executives, entrepreneurs and veteran business owners attend the weekend to help guide teams with successful advice. Russell said about 15 mentors have already signed up for the October event.

The group of local mentors and coaches will include Jeff Heutmaker of Heutmaker Law; Michele Reese of Beargrass Marketing; Jerry Meerkatz, formerly of Thompson Technology Group; and Chad Waite of OVP Venture Partners.

Glacier Startup Weekend begins at 6 p.m. on Oct. 9 and runs through the weekend at Flathead Valley Community College. Registration is limited to 120 participants.

For more information on the Glacier Startup Weekend, visit glacier.startupweekend.org or call  Russell at (406) 257-7711, extension 6.