San Luis Obispo entrepreneurs will have a chance to pitch their ideas, and test and launch their firms during Startup Weekend, which begins Friday.

The event gives aspiring business owners more than 54 hours to hone their ideas and entrepreneurial skills, and learn from veterans with expertise in a variety of fields: technical, design and business.

“Startup Weekend SLO is an incredible asset to our community,” said Jonathan York, cofounder of the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. “The event encourages collaboration across disciplines and gives participants an opportunity to build a real concept from the ground up alongside some of the area’s brightest talent.”

Startup Weekend begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday with initial pitches and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, when there will be final presentations and judging. Tickets are $99 and include breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the weekend, as well as supplies and resources. Discounted tickets for students are $65. Tickets for spectators, $10, are also offered for Friday and Saturday night pitches.

The event is supported by Cal Poly’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship and sponsored by iFixit, Softec, Experts Exchange and Guayaki.

This is the second year of the event. Last year, it received a positive response and resulted in the development of 12 startup companies, organizers said.

To buy tickets, or for information about the location and parking, visit http://slo.startupweekend.org   or follow @StartupWkndSLO on Twitter.