Update: Thanks to the generosity of Geraldine Le Meur, I have revised down my fundraising goal!

Hello friends!

My dream is to improve the world through technology, internet, entrepreneurship, and finance – and I am sitting on an incredible opportunity to chase that dream. I recently found a way to attend Le Web, the biggest tech event in Europe, but I need $1000 by Nov 11. And I’m hoping that you can help.

Why Le Web?
Le Web is Europe’s largest and most influential tech conference. The lineup is unbelievable, including rockstars like Eric Schmidt (Exec Chairman and former CEO of Google) and Sean Parker (co-founder of Napster, founding president of Facebook… you know, Justin Timberlake in The Social Network). I know that this conference would be absolutely incredible for me.

The Details
There’s a deadline because I need to buy my student ticket by Nov 11, and I can’t afford to front the money if I’m not sure that I can pay for the entire conference. The $1000 will cover the conference fee (€300), airfare to Paris (~€200), a hostel for three nights (€30-40/night), and misc. travel expenses like the annoying €12 airport shuttle.

You’ll notice that this doesn’t add up to $1000, even given the weakening dollar. During my trip, I’ll carefully track my conference-related expenses (excluding personal stuff like food), and if I’m fortunate enough to raise extra money, I will donate it to a charity yet to be determined. I’ve set a $1000 goal partially because I want to make sure I can cover everything, even if prices fluctuate – but more importantly, because I believe in setting (and achieving) high goals.

If you are able to help out a little, please leave a comment – I’m not sure that ChipIn (the free service I’m using) allows me to track who’s contributing, and I want to make sure I know who to thank. Words cannot express how grateful I would be for the opportunity to go to Le Web.

Thank you so much!