Blogging from the Bus: Day 2 of StartupBus

Blake Miller, partner and web developer at Think Big Partners, was chosen to participate in StartupBus, a 72-hour roadtrip-meets-hackathon from Vegas to Austin.  Along the way, "Buspreneurs" create and launch a startup and present it to venture capitalists at SXSW.  This is Blake's experience:`


Here we are about 40 hours into the StartupBus adventure and we are about to launch a company!  Forty hours!!!


I’ll say that one more time…40 hours!


We have conceived and developed our idea to its maximum potential and now we're on the verge of launching a company in under two days.


What company you ask?  http://GetWished.com.


GetWished is gift giving re-imagined.  Because honestly, the way we see it, traditional registries and wishlists suck!


Imagine this: An elegant platform to create a list that displays all of your wishes, desires and wants. The platform allows you to also surf the Internet adding anything you want to that list, share your wishlist with your Facebook friends, and with a few simple clicks, provide all of your friends and family with the ability to fulfill those wishes.


Wish Granted.


GetWished allows your friends and family to purchase gifts that you actually want.  Wishing for something big? No problem. With our group buying platform, chipping in has never been easier. That Justin Bieber VIP Experience you’ve been eyeing is now a few steps closer to reality...because of GetWished.


Sounds pretty cool, huh?  We think so. But the opportunity is SO MUCH BIGGER than it sounds.


I will leave you with a few rando­m thoughts from the bus…

1. A word to the wise: Internet connection in the desert sucks!
2. The dynamic of our team is pretty inspiring.  You have six total strangers who came together in literally a matter of minutes and work together like a symphony.  I’ve done Hackathons and Startup Weekends before and it’s nothing like this.  At those events, I, at the very least, knew of the people that I was joining teams with.  This (at least in my experience), results in an initial surge of excitement because your friends usually don’t hold you that accountable.  Our team has been a game the entire time.  Pretty cool if you ask me.
3. Quote of the Day.  “I feel like I’m in a horrible movie mashup of the movie Speed and Hackers, only with no Angelina or Sandra."
4. And please remember...

We launch TODAY!

Follow us on Twitter @getwished

Like us on Facebook.com/getwished


AND MOST IMPORTANT: Signup so I can get you in to start using GetWished first.
AND TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW: The more traction we can get, the better our grading point will be for the finals.


Also look for another email tomorrow asking for your help with the StartupBus Game.


Follow me! @BlakeMiller32