Startup Weekend • 54-hour MVP blueprint

CoopConnect East Bay

East Bay (Oakland / Berkeley / Alameda & Contra Costa)

Connectivity + Co‑op GovTech

Community-owned connectivity planning for apartments and corridors.

A simple planner that helps neighborhoods design a community network pilot (mesh/fiber), estimate costs, recruit members, and publish a governance starter kit.

Local fit: Connectivity affordability and reliability vary widely; a co-op approach can keep prices fair, build local capacity, and avoid extractive platform lock-in—especially in multi-tenant buildings.

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Core user stories

As an organizer, I can outline a pilot area and see a suggested ‘node plan’ and budget range.
As a resident, I can pledge interest, see expected costs/benefits, and find the next meeting or signup step.
As a co-op board, I can download a starter governance pack (bylaws outline, member rights, data principles).

Clickable demo scope (what you build)

Clickable flow: pick a pilot area → view suggested nodes (mock) → cost summary → resident signup.
Seed 1–2 sample pilots (e.g., a corridor + a dense block) with mock coverage and costs.
Governance starter kit page: principles + bylaws outline + ‘member data rights’ (download as PDF optional).

Team of four roles

Product & Policy Lead: Define pilot assumptions (node costs, ops model) and the governance/data-rights principles.
UX / Frontend: Build the pilot planner UI + resident signup + governance kit page.
Backend / Data: Store pilots and signups; implement simple cost calculator; generate a downloadable kit.
Partnerships / Story / Ops: Interview 2 residents + 1 digital equity org; craft the pitch (community ownership).

54-hour build plan

Hours 0–6: Pick one user segment; do 5–8 quick interviews; lock the “one workflow” MVP.
Hours 6–24: Build the clickable flow end-to-end with stubbed data; draft the policy narrative.
Hours 24–40: Add one policy-ready output (brief/dashboard/export); tighten UX; seed data for 2–3 neighborhoods.
Hours 40–54: Polish demo script; add analytics mock; finalize pitch + one-page handout.

What to show in the final demo

The “happy path” (one user completes the core task in under 2 minutes).
One policy-ready output (a brief, dashboard view, or export).
One local proof point (seeded neighborhoods / agencies / partner types relevant to East Bay (Oakland / Berkeley / Alameda & Contra Costa)).

How it can earn revenue without becoming extractive

Revenue fit (values-aligned): sell a low-cost subscription to local governments/nonprofits, or charge implementation/support for pilots—avoid extractive fees on community participation.

Guardrails: publish scoring criteria, minimize data collection, and default to community ownership where possible (co-op/commons patterns).