It’s a bird! it’s a plane! NO….its 40 GEEKS IN A PLANE!

Interested in joining Geeks on a Plane ‘South America’ (GOAP) from April 29th through May 8th?

GOAP is an invite-only tour that promotes cultural exchange and knowledge sharing among geeks worldwide. For our next trip, we’ll be visiting tech hubs in Brazil (Sao Paulo & Rio de Janeiro), Chile (Santiago), and Argentina (Buenos Aires). Below is some basic info on the trip including agenda and anticipated costs.

If you’re interested in being considered for GOAP, please complete THIS FORM no later than 3pm PST this Monday, February 28th.

Note: Please only apply if you can attend the full tour. All selections will be made by the GOAP Committee and you will be notified by March 4th. If you have any questions, feel free to email christen at 500 startups dot com

About Geeks On A Plane:

Geeks On a Plane is an invite-only regional tour that promotes cultural exchange through technology and entrepreneurship. We assemble a group of highly influential Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and investors, load them on a plane, and visit some of the most burgeoning tech markets worldwide to share ideas and practices with other key entrepreneurs, executives, and government leaders.

Led by Dave McClure (founding partner of 500 Startups) and co-organized by Wences Casares (founder & co-CEO, Bling Nation) and Bedy Yang (founder, Brazil Innovators), we are now inviting a select group of investors and tech entrepreneurs on a 10 day orientation tour of Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.

Objectives:

• Gain and share insight into tech & innovation trends coming out of key areas within South America.
• Meet the startup and investment community in Sao Paulo (Brazil), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Santiago (Chile).
• Leverage social media and business networks to facilitate cross border trade & investment.
• Participate in a pro-entrepreneur and pro-investment initiative during a tough global economy.

Since June of 2009, we’ve had a blast traveling all over the world to visit Asia, Europe, and Hawaii. In 2011, we’ll also be heading to Asia in July and India in December. Our most recent trip to East Asia in May 2010 was a smashing success, and was profiled in TechCrunch (video).

Tentative Agenda:

In each city, we will partner with local (government and non-government) organizations and tech events, as well as assemble our own conferences and functions that attract key local companies and executives. This may include events such as:

• Intimate conferences with roundtables, keynotes, and panel discussions
• Site visits to local tech companies and startups
• Startup demos and showcases
• Networking dinners and cocktail parties
• Attendance at community tech events in host countries
• Social activities to deepen relationships: Soccer matches, wine tastings, hikes, etc.

(For more detail, check out our past GOAP agendas.)

Geeks on a Plane – South America
4/29/2010 – San Francisco > Sao Paulo, Brazil
4/30/2010 – Sao Paulo, Brazil
5/1/2010 – Sao Paulo, Brazil
5/2/2010 – Sao Paulo, Brazil
5/3/2010 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
5/4/2010 – Santiago, Chile
5/5/2010 – Santiago, Chile
5/6/2010 – Buenos Aires, Argentina
5/7/2010 – Buenos Aires, Argentina
5/8/2010 – Buenos Aires, Argentina > San Francisco

Costs & Arrangements:

The anticipated total cost of the trip is $5,000, which includes organization and production services over a 10-day period, as well as estimated flight and hotel fees. Travel will be booked via our partner travel agency.

To learn more, visit www.geeksonaplane.com