Did One Week KC help Kansas City Become America’s Most Entrepreneurial City?

One Week KC set out with the goal of inching Kansas City toward becoming America’s Most Entrepreneurial City. Did it achieve its goal? 

Making Kansas City into the Most Entrepreneurial City in America is a major undertaking. Rome wasn’t built in a day.  So let’s ask ourselves a different question instead: Did One Week KC lay the foundation for Kansas City to be the Most Entrepreneurial City in America? Yes...but how?  Did this 9-day celebration really foster the entrepreneurial action and growth that we need to claim the big title?

One Week KC was filled with a many events that, first and foremost, brought people from different industries into the same atmosphere.  Starting on Monday, June 18^th, the organizers of the conference provided a platform to allow entrepreneurs, investors, startups and like-minded individuals to interact with one another at a minimum of two times a day!  Now that’s networking. 

iKC, the premier conference on innovation and entrepreneurship, was just one of the components to One Week KC.  iKC’s Inspire Talks and panels not only brought people together, but provided motivation and education. The keynote presentation from Dr. Michael E. Raynor of Deloitte Services LP gave great insight into deliberate disruption. In the afternoon, the interactive discussion panels served as kindling for the Fire Up talks.  All in all, the event was a success, and helped Kansas City inch closer to claiming the Most Entrepreneurial title. 

There was something for everyone throughout One Week KC—from networking events to seminars, breakfasts to happy hours. But that still doesn’t answer the question, “How did a 9-day conference build the foundation?” It can be answered simply with that one word we keep going back to; networking.

Networking is the like pipe from National Treasure; it’s actually quite mysterious. On the surface, it’s just a pipe, but when you dive deeper and think of the different ways it can be used, that’s when you unlock its true potential. Sure, the days of the One Week KC were filled with great learning opportunities. But it’s critical to keep in mind the old adage we hear on an almost daily basis: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” (especially in the world of entrepreneurship!).  Waffles, trivia, baseball, and entrepreneurship have very little in common. But because of One Week KC, each of these events served as an avenue for entrepreneurs to network and build valuable connections—connections that could lead into creating more and more new startups here in Kansas City.

What do you think?  Did One Week KC help Kansas City become America’s Most Entrepreneurial City? 

Waffles Are Just Pancakes with Syrup Traps: Startup Waffles

I stepped into the elevator and instantly smelled bacon. I don’t know about you, but that’s the way I like to start my mornings! Think Big Partners hosted the feeding frenzy, Startup Waffles, as part of One Week KC last Friday and boy, oh boy was it a sticky success! 

The spread was something to behold. There were waffles (of course!), but you could choose between regular and blueberry. But there was also bacon, bananas, coffee and juice. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the scrambled eggs (mixed with cheese, onions, green, red and yellow peppers and bacon!). They were the best I’ve ever tasted.

Just days after iKC, Startup Waffles sparked some residual conversations about the conference (check out our blog to read recaps of the events!). I overheard some mumblings about the Fire Up contest, in which Think Big Partners’ co-founder Herb Sih participated. During Startup Waffles, Herb was spotted busily passing out waffles to everyone as he schmoozed with the crowd. Many entrepreneurs in attendance were deep in conversation. Even the bizperc office dog, Dante, graced us with his presence.

We laughed, we talked and we ate (a lot). A great time was had by all!  We had such a good time, in fact, that we plan to host more Startup Waffles events in the future!  Stay tuned—we’ll be sure to keep you posted on the next time we serve up a delectable breakfast for our favorite people; entrepreneurs! 

The Bustling Crowd During Startup Waffles

Sarah Snyder Serving Up Some Tasty Waffles

Herb Sih’s Fire Up: How to Get S*#! Done Fast (Plus a Recap of iKC’s Fire Ups)

iKC hosted Kansas City’s first Fearless Innovators and Ruthless Entrepreneurs’ Unconventional Pitch (also known as Fire Up). Fire Up is an intense 5 minute, 15 seconds-per-slide pitch contest. Understanding what these entrepreneurs were saying during their speedy spiels was the hardest part of these lightning-fast pitches. Here are some details I can recall from the pitching whirlwind.

Kevin Payne, Joel Stephens, Adam Coomes, Doug Richards and Kathy Pate were the entrepreneurs of “Fire Up: The Next Disruptive Innovation”. Five entrepreneurs gave their pitches about products or ideas that should be in the marketplace. The groundbreaking ideas ranged from “non-sexy stuff” to 7-Eleven’s gross profit split to re-engineered human data systems. The presentations and presenters couldn’t have been more different if they had planned it.

The winner of the this Fire Up contest was Doug Richards. His idea was Gamification. The next disruptive innovation that he proposed was a way for a game to produce work-like results. This program is based on experiential psychology. Users will choose an adventure and then receive results based on their performance. Richards believes this new program will replace social media and render the term obsolete.  

This process of super-quick pitches is mind-blowing and bound to boost creativity and innovation. I know I’m motivated to think outside the box, but I’d never be able to pitch anything at Fire Up speed! Kathy Pate let out a huge sigh when she was finished and said, “That was the most stressful 5 minutes of my life!” The entrepreneurs kept the crowd engaged throughout the presentations and we all left Fired Up!

To catch a glimpse of Herb Sih’s Fire Up called How to Get S*#! Done Fast (he participated in Fire Up: The Answers to Questions You Didn’t Know You Had), take a look at this video below (it’s bound to make your mind race!): 


(We apologize—this isn’t the FULL presentation and it also doesn’t have the best quality!  Also, please ignore Allison Way’s random giggles and high pitched shouts at the end).  

Are You Fired Up!? iKC Unveils Fire Up Presenters

iKC is hosting Kansas City’s first Fearless Innovators and Ruthless Entrepreneurs’ Unconventional Pitch (Fire Up) on June 20, 2012.  This month, the conference sought out 11 knockout presenters to participate in Fire Up.  And now, we have the names:

Fire Up Topic #1: What’s the Next Disruptive Innovation?

• Kevin Payne— Better Data, Better Decisions, Better Lives
• Joel Stephens— Augmented Reality Mirror: Next Time, “Test Drive” Your New Hairstyle First!
• Adam Coomes— Non-Sexy: The Next Disruption
• Doug Richards— Gamification: The Way We Work, Learn and Play
• Christian Braddock— Slurpees, Big Gulps and the Gross Profit Split: The Revolution of the Franchisor-Franchisee Relationship

Fire Up Topic #2: Answers to Questions You Didn’t Know You Had  

• Tim Sylvester— How can Modern Infrastructure Make KC the Most Entrepreneurial City in the World?
• Herb Sih— How to get S%&^ Done Fast
• Shaun Williams— How to Maximize ROI in a Mobile World
• Eze Redwood—Innovative Platforms Bring Collaboration: How Unique Virtual Spaces can Unite Groups
• Bryan Richard— Why Software Development is Hard: 5 Tips for Managing Developers, Shipping Software, and Staying Sane

Presenters only have 5 minutes (20 slides, 15 seconds per slide) to convey a particular message.  Wish these Fire Up presenters good luck on June 20—they’ll need it.  This will be the most intense pitch series KC has ever seen!  Are you ready? 

iKC Asks KC Entrepreneurs to Fire Up!

iKC is throwing Kansas City's first Fearless Innovators' and Ruthless Entrepreneurs' Unconventional Pitch. We know, it's a mouthful. That's okay, though...you can just call it "Fire Up" for short.

A Fire Up is a 5 minute, lightning-fast pitch presentation:  20 slides.  15 seconds per slide. 

Sound a little too fast?  It probably will be.  Fire Up will put entrepreneurs in a hot seat and will force them to be concise, to think on their feet and to spark the interest of the crowd.

We’re looking for 12 brave contestants to participate in iKC’s Fire Up event.  Six will present on one topic and 6 on another.  What are the topics, you ask?  Go ahead—pick your poison:

What is the Next Disruptive Innovation?

The Answers to Questions You Didn’t Know You Had 

Interested Fire Up participants are encouraged to submit their information to the iKC website at www.sparkinginnovation.org/fire-up.

Click here to learn more about iKC or visit iKC on Twitter @iKC_2012! 

What Is a Fire Up Presentation?

iKC is throwing Kansas City's first Fearless Innovators' and Ruthless Entrepreneurs' Unconventional Pitch.  We know, it's a mouthful.  That's okay, though...you can just call it "Fire Up" for short.

Fire Up is made of lightning-fast pitch presentations from a number of local innovative entrepreneurs. The catch? Entrepreneurs only have a few minutes to convey their pitch to an audience.  With only 15 seconds per presentation slide, Fire Up will put entrepreneurs in a hot seat and will force them to be concise, to think on their feet and to spark the interest of the crowd.

What does a Fire Up look like exactly? We'll show you. Here's an example of our own:

 

Interested?  You can participate in a Fire Up on June 20th (sponsorship opportunities for Fire Up are also available!).  Learn more at www.sparkinginnovation.org.

Follow iKC! @iKC_2012 

The Opportunity to Build America's Most Entrepreneurial City

Kansas City is on its way to becoming America’s most entrepreneurial city—and the iKC conference is just one of the stepping stones to get us there.  We’ve seen initiatives from a handful of other organizations such as the Kauffman Foundation, the Social Media Club of Kansas City, Brainzooming and many others. 

And now, it’s your chance to become a part of the entrepreneurial movement.

With an iKC sponsorship, you have the opportunity to not only become a supporter of the KC entrepreneurial movement, but also to positively expose your organization and receive beneficial perks along the way.  An iKC sponsorship can intrinsically link you with an inspirational group of people and give you the opportunity to spend the day interacting with successful innovators, entrepreneurs, creative minds, local businesses and large corporations. 

There are two different types of sponsorships available:

1.  General iKC Sponsorship: The customizable sponsorship packet allows you to pick the level at which you wish to sponsor.  With a wide range of levels to choose from, organizations of any size can become a part of iKC.  iKC sponsorships also allow for interested startups and media organizations to get involved.  To learn more about these opportunities, contact iKC.

2.  Fire Up Sponsorship: The Fire Up sponsorship opportunity is completely unique to iKC.  Fire Up (short for Fearless Innovators’ and Ruthless Entrepreneurs’ Unconventional Pitch) is a lightning-fast pitch presentation from a number of local innovative entrepreneurs.  When sponsoring a Fire Up, iKC will pair you with an entrepreneur that will innovate on your company’s platform and then present it to a live audience.  That means that your company will walk away from iKC with a brand new, realistic innovation.  To learn more about sponsoring Fire Up, contact iKC. 

Get involved with iKC today and join Kansas City’s innovative and entrepreneurial efforts.  To learn more, visit iKC's Sponsorship page or call 816-842-5244.  

Follow iKC! @iKC_2012

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

iKC: Innovate, Ignite and Inspire on June 20

The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and Think Big Partners have launched the new website for Kansas City’s innovation and entrepreneur conference, now known as iKC.

iKC, formerly known as The Chamber’s Innovation Conference and Think Big Partners’ Think Big Kansas City, is a day-long conference that will be hosted by H&R Block. The mission of the conference is to foster innovation and creativity in Kansas City, help build the “City of Entrepreneurs”, and provide innovation and startup education for corporate creatives, KC businesses and entrepreneurs.  The conference will take place on June 20^th at the H&R Block World Headquarters in downtown Kansas City.

“iKC can mean so many different things to so many different people in Kansas City,” said co-founder of Think Big Partners, Herb Sih.  “To an entrepreneur, it may mean inspiration.  To corporate creatives, it may mean innovation.  To others it could mean involvement, interaction, impact, or interconnectivity. We hope to encapsulate all of these meanings into one Kansas City conference—iKC.”

“iKC is going to be a high-energy, interactive get-together for many of our region’s top innovators and visionaries,” said Jim Heeter, president and CEO of The Chamber. “By bringing these people together and giving them a place to network and collaborate, we are another step closer to becoming America’s most entrepreneurial city.”

In addition to spotlighting a number of different local and national speakers, iKC is also featuring its very first Fire Up series (which stands for Fearless Innovators’ and Ruthless Entrepreneurs’ Unconventional Pitch).  Fire Up is made up of faster-than-usual pitch presentations from local innovative entrepreneurs.  These entrepreneurs will only have a few minutes to convey and entire business pitch to a live audience.  iKC is currently looking for Kansas City corporations to sponsor a Fire Up presentation as well as entrepreneurs interested in participating in Fire Up.  To learn more, please visit http://www.sparkinginnovation.com. 

iKC is currently looking for leaders in the Kansas City business community and beyond to get involved through sponsorship and speaker opportunities.  To learn more about these opportunities or to register for iKC, please visit http://www.sparkinginnovation.org.

Follow iKC! @iKC_2012