Are you a hacker who has thought about one day starting a startup? Then you're invited to a free, one-day startup school this April 29 at Stanford.

We'll have a range of experts speaking on all the things you need to know to start a company: what makes a good startup idea and where to get them; what to look for in a co-founder; how to get angel and VC funding; how to incorporate a company and what agreements founders should have among themselves; when and how to apply for patents; what can go wrong in a startup; what acquirers look for; and how the acquisition process works.

One day is not enough to cover all these topics thoroughly, but we think we'll be able to cover enough to make it clear how startups work. Most hackers probably consider starting a company at some point, but are put off because "business" seems a mystery. Our goal is to remove that mystery.

The school is free, but because more people may want to come than we have room for, we ask you to fill out a brief application form if you want to attend. The application deadline is noon on April 7, and we'll issue acceptances by April 11.