Startup Weekend • 54-hour MVP blueprint

ReUseWorks East Bay

East Bay (Oakland / Berkeley / Alameda & Contra Costa)
Circular Economy + Local Jobs

Deconstruction-first reuse that keeps value—and skills—local.

A contractor-to-reuse matching tool that lists salvageable building materials and routes them to local reuse orgs, makers, and affordable-housing projects with compliance-friendly documentation.

Local fit: The East Bay has active reuse and maker ecosystems and substantial renovation activity; making salvage logistics easy helps reduce waste, lower project costs, and build local livelihoods.

Core user stories

  • As a contractor, I can post a ‘salvage lot’ (photos, quantities, pickup window) in under 3 minutes.
  • As a reuse org/builder, I can search/filter lots (doors, lumber, fixtures) and claim what I can pick up.
  • As a city/nonprofit partner, I can view diversion metrics (estimated weight/CO₂ saved) and download a simple ‘diversion receipt’ for reporting.

Clickable demo scope (what you build)

  • Clickable flow: create salvage lot → browse lots → claim/reserve → generate diversion receipt.
  • Seed 15–25 example listings (demo data) + basic categories and pickup scheduling.
  • Policy-ready output: metrics dashboard (diverted pounds + estimated CO₂) + receipt download.

Team of four roles

  • Product & Policy Lead: Define listing categories, documentation needs (receipt fields), and what metrics matter for reporting.
  • UX / Frontend: Build listing wizard, browse/filter page, and claim flow with clean mobile UI.
  • Backend / Data: Implement listings + claims; create the diversion calculator; generate receipts.
  • Partnerships / Story / Ops: Interview 2 contractors + 1 reuse org; source 10 example listings; narrate “dumpster → local value.”

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).