Startup Bus Chronicles pt. 5: Notes after the road

I like to make lists, here is my Startup Bus 2012 list:

1. We spent over 72 hours on a bus… most of them with no power or WiFi, so yes: hackers actually coded on paper.
2. We slept on every acceptably flat surface we could find, such as, but not limited to: bus seats and companions, gym floors, classroom floors, cafeteria floors, tables, chairs…
3. We made it to SXSW (we had a border in between 39 Mexicans and an Aussie, and made it through like champs).
4. We took lots of pictures, but not nearly enough to capture all the great moments.
5. We spent at least a whole day without showering, so we had to make do with a bathroom sink… We got creative.
6. We spent days without changing clothes, so at one point we couldn’t really tell who stunk (more).
7. We ate pizza.
8. We got smashed, both by work and by truck loads of alcohol.
9. We made McDonald’s look like an actual hacker space and produced a power out. Twice.
10. 4 women worked, ate, and slept with 35 men for over week.
11. We built amazing products, and I say we, because even though we were competing against each other; we were always there to help out, cheer on, give feedback or pat in the back.
12. We ate more pizza.
13. We exceeded any and all expectations, including our own.
14. We got injured: one nose, a bunch of scratches, bruises and many mild flues later, we survived.
15. We pitched our products, our food and our mothers. For real.
16. We worked in lumber mills, former malls, classrooms, hotels, houses, restaurants, streets, cafés and schools.
17. We danced on bars.
18. We were inspired.
19. We roared with laughter.
20. We tried every energy drink out there.
21. We fought the odds, the weather and each other.
22. One of our teams made it to the finals and the rest of us got kicked out from the venue where they were held, so we had to go watch the streaming at a bar… which we got kicked out of as well.
23. We woke up at 5 am
24. We went to sleep at 5 am
25. We slept during the day and worked through the nights.
26. We came up with some pretty inventive inside  jokes, nicknames and pitches.
27. We were constantly challenged and amazed by each other.
28. We were cold, hot, tired or sick for most of the ride.
29. We had a strict no shitting in the bus policy.
30. We had the shittiest bus.
31. We had the coolest bus drivers.
32. We attempted to hijack one of the cool US buses; we were too hung over to go through with it.
33. We worked like slaves.
34. We partied like rock stars.
35. We screamed both with excitement and frustration.
36. We met celebrities.
37. We were met like celebrities in every Mexican city we stopped at.
38. We walked into it a bunch of strangers and walked out a big, loud, cheerful family.
39. We ate even more pizza.

…. In a heartbeat, we would do it all over again.

Photo courtesy of @szwerink

Tags: StartupBus, StartupBusMx, SXSW