Compute Midwest Debuts in Kansas City Nov. 8-11

It's much more than a typical conference.  It's more like a conference + hackathon + speakathon + party + networking event all crammed into 4 days.  That's what Compute Midwest is all about, and it's debuting in Kansas City on November 8-11, 2012.

Compute Midwest, organized by Kansas City IT Professionals (KCITP), is a 2-day convergence of tech centered around new people, new ideas and innovation in Kansas City.

What can you expect at Compute Midwest?

DAY 1: KICK-OFF PARTY

All entrepreneurs love a good party, don't they?  Compute Midwest is catering to the wild entrepreneur by throwing a kick-off party on November 8th from 6:00-9:00pm at The Cashew.  At the kick-off party, attendees will get the chance to network with other CM attendees and learn more about what the weekend will entail.

DAY 2:  IMAGINE THE FUTURE

Day 2 starts at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts where attendees can learn about what's next in technology straight from tech leaders, startup founders and visionaries.  Of course, as with many Kansas City events, there will be a lot of discussion about KC's Google Fiber.

DAYS 3 & 4:  CREATE THE FUTURE

It's hackathon time!  On November 10, Compute Midwest will host the first 24-hour app-building challenge ever on Google Fiber at the Google Fiber space in Kansas City.  There will be thousands of dollars worth of prizes...but the biggest prize of all may be getting the chance to develop a new app with the world's fastest gigabit fiber network.

Are you ready to network, learn, engage, and build with KC's growing tech scene? Purchase your ticket for Compute Midwest today.  To learn more about Compute Midwest, be sure to visit www.computemidwest.com or follow the event on Twitter at @ComputeMidwest.

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Congrats to @KCITP and @RedNovaLabs: Winners of Think Big July Poll!

In July, we asked you who should be crowned as Kansas City's favorite startup Tweep.  And after 31 days of hardcore voting, the results are in!

Kansas City's favorite Tweeps (yes there was a tie!) are...

@KCITP   and   @RedNovaLabs 

Let's give these awesome KC organizations a big round of applause (or why not a retweet or two?).  Thanks to @KCITP and @RedNovaLabs for the ongoing social media support of Kansas City entrepreneurship!  

On Twitter? Follow me while you're at it!  @AllisonThinkBig

KCITP Turns 4 This Wednesday at Snow & Company

KCITP, Kansas City's large group of IT professionals, is turning 4 years old on Wednesday...and they're ready to celebrate not just the anniversary, but the growing success of the group, too.

Not only has KCITP's membership grown steadily throughout the past 4 years, but it has grown to numbers higher than anyone would have expected.  The group has just under 9,000 members!  KCITP has helped to foster new relationships in the Kansas City IT community and give back a little at the same time.  Through multiple events, social media efforts and philanthropic initiatives, KCITP is making a statement in Kansas City...a big statement. 

But KCITP wasn't always 8,500 members strong.  The group started (like many groups do) on professional networking site, LinkedIn.  After accumulating hundreds of members interested in meeting face-to-face, KCITP finally became an physical group with multiple meet-ups throughout the Kansas City area.

This Thursday, join KCITP as the group celebrates its 4 year anniversary at one of our favorite KC hotspots (or should be say coolspots?), Snow & Company.  Register now for yummy appetizers, drink specials and high-powered, technical networking.

Congratulations, KCITP! 

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

Moonlighting His Way to the Top: How this KC Entrepreneur Does It All

WRITTEN BY ALLISON WAY, SENIOR COPYWRITER & CHIEF EDITOR

Kansas City-bred entrepreneur Chris Morris is what we like to call a “moonlighter”.  Moonlighting, as defined by Wikipedia, is the practice of holding a secondary job in addition to one’s main job.  But Chris Morris is doing more than just moonlighting—he’s moonlighting a few times over.

Morris is a service catalog administrator at HNTB by day, but a serial entrepreneur by night.  In the little free time that he has, he enjoys working on his newest entrepreneurial venture, Instantly.in.

Instantly.in is a Twitter loyalty program that allows users to check-in on Twitter without the hassle of downloading apps like Foursquare.  Instantly.in can also be utilized by people without smartphones.

As co-founder and developer for Instantly.in, Chris has been interested in developing new businesses since he can remember.  But it wasn’t until one special Thaisday (Chris always gets Thai on Tuesdays with his coworkers and partners) where he met Michael Gelphman of KCITP.  After that meeting, Chris decided to partake in Startup Weekend and had the opportunity to spend 54 straight hours working intensely on Instantly.in.

“I got great feedback at Startup Weekend,” said Chris.  “It was a blast.  I met cool people and the experience kick-started going back to working on Instantly.in.  I would love to do it again.”

Chris enjoys moonlighting and keeps himself busy with Instantly.in, HNTB, other entrepreneurial ventures, classes at JCCC and judo.  But according to Chris, finding the time for all of these interests isn’t all fun and games.  Moonlighting fills up an entire day, which can be extremely exhausting.  But what’s the hardest part for Chris?

“I’m doing so much!  I don’t have to be busy, I just want to get a lot done,” he says.  “The hardest part is the start and the finish.  Not having dedicated time for the business is challenging, but this is my year to get things up and going and eventually finished.” 

Get great tips on how to moonlight effectively from Think Big Partners! Dancing in the Moonlight: Happiness While Holding Two Jobs at Once

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

11 Reasons Why KC Innovation is Exploding in 2011

Wow.  What a year it's been for Kansas City innovation and entrepreneurship.  And the good news?  It's only May.  We are not even half way through the year and Kansas City has seen an explosion of innovation, startups, and entrepreneurial growth in 2011.

KCHub summarized it perfectly in their post, The Inertia of Innovation:

• Google Fiber announces its launch in KCK
• Think Big Partners opens bizperc accelerator
• Angel Capital Group creates partnership with Think Big - a nationwide funding network ready for KC startups
• Silicon Prairie News launches KC coverage
• KCITP surpasses 5,000 members
• KC Startup Weekend has a record turnout - startup rival those coming from NYC and other tech hubs
• KCNext grows IT events and rebrands the region
• Zaarly launches amid rave reviews at SXSW
• Kauffman Labs attracts entrepreneurs from around the globe to its KC headquarters
• K-State Olathe Innovation Campus opens; JoCo Research Triangle takes another step forward
• KU Med NCI bid - let's put it this way, you don't say "perfect game" during the 7th inning
• Etc., etc.

Look at what Kansas City has gone through in the past 5 months.  Pretty incredible, right?  We cannot wait to see what's in store for the city until December and for many innovative years to come.

Written by Allison Way.

@AllisonThinkBig