Fired up from 1Week KC? The Next Big Entrepreneur Event is On Its Way!

There’s no doubt about it--the second annual 1Week KC event was a huge success.  We saw more innovative collaborations, more networking, and more ideas than any other single week here in Kansas City.  But now we need to focus on what we should do with all of the great ideas we developed during 1Week KC.  That’s where iKC: The Unconference comes into play--it’s the opportunity to take all of the great ideas you’ve generated and turn them into action. 

What is iKC: The Unconference?  

First, allow us to define “unconference” for you.  An unconference is an open format conference that facilitates activity, conversations and collisions between individuals. Attendees actively create the unconference agenda with the assistance of a skilled facilitator where all the sessions become relevant and engaging. 

iKC: The Unconference is unlike any other Kansas City conference you’ve been to before.  iKC is a brand new way to  unite entrepreneurs and innovators in Kansas City and initiate action throughout the community. 

Here’s How It Works!

1. Submit a Topic:  What the day looks like is entirely up to you!  If you have a great idea, submit it to iKC: The Unconference.  Who knows?  An entire session may be built around your idea. 
2. Come to the Unconference: On October 3, join us at iKC: The Unconference and see your ideas come to life!  
3. The Agenda is Created: Based off of your submitted ideas, the iKC agenda will be created.  The morning of the unconference, you will see which ideas become conference topics.

Take Action Now

Unconferences are only as successful as the ideas that people submit for them.  We’re asking you, Kansas City, to submit topic ideas that YOU want to see covered at iKC!  From your submitted topic ideas, we will create the schedule for iKC.  Remember; no idea is too crazy (we’ve already had one submission about nap time increasing productivity!). Submit your ideas here.

Sponsor iKC

iKC is looking for sponsors to become a part of the unconference!  Interested in sponsoring? Click here.

iKC: The Unconference will take place on October 3, 2013 at H&R Block World Headquarters in downtown Kansas City.  Tickets go on sale on August 1.  

Think Big Partners Announces Hackovate Travel Scholarship

As many entrepreneurs know, applying for an innovation competition takes a lot of time.  But it takes even more time (and money!) to fly to a different city to participate in a live innovation or startup competition.  Here at Think Big Partners, we understand that dilemma.  

But in order to ensure that every entrepreneur who has a health-related innovation, idea or startup is able to travel into Kansas City for the Hackovate Health Finale on February 26, 2013, a surprise sponsor has opened the Hackovate Travel Scholarship. 

The Hackovate Travel Scholarship will cover up to 100% of travel costs to Kansas City for the Hackovate Finale on February 26, 2013. What’s the catch? The sooner you complete your Hackovate submission, the greater chance you’ll have of receiving the Travel Scholarship!

The Hackovate Travel Scholarship
The Hackovate Travel Scholarship will cover up to 100% of travel costs for one member of your team for the Finale event on February 26, 2013. The Hackovate Travel Scholarship will be awarded to a number of Hackovate Finalists on a first come, first serve basis.
How can you get the travel scholarship?

• The only way to apply for the Hackovate Travel Scholarship is by completing your iStart application. Once you complete your application, you must send an email to info@hackovate.com stating your interest in the scholarship to receive the Hackovate Travel Scholarship application. This scholarship is optional to apply for.
• Fill out the application and send an electronic copy to info@hackovate.com.
• The scholarship will be awarded on a first come, first serve basis. Therefore, if you submit your completed application into our iStart program early, you have a greater chance of winning the travel scholarship.
• The Hackovate Travel Scholarship will also be evaluated based merit of the need for travel costs paid for.

In other words, complete your Hackovate submission early and you’ll have a greater chance of getting your travel expenses to Kansas City paid in full!

Learn more! @Hackovate 

Think Big Partners & H&R Block Host Hackovate Finale Feb. 26

We are thrilled to join forces with H&R Block this February to host the Hackovate Health Finale on February 26th!  At the event, the top 10 Hackovate finalists from our healthcare innovation competition will present their ideas, companies and technologies in front of a live audience at Union Station.  But what else can you expect at the Finale event?

• Healthcare technology and innovation presentations from the Top 10 Finalists 
• Networking with some of the top innovators in the healthcare space
• Healthcare innovation and technology exhibitors
• An Innovation Address and community closing reception 

The Hackovate Health Finale is an event that aims to build the collaborative and innovative Kansas City community and therefore, is absolutely FREE.  The Finale is expected to sell out.

Registration opens tomorrow, January 15, 2013 at www.hackovate.eventbrite.com! 

Learn more about Hackovate on Twitter: @Hackovate 

intevli App Launches During Kansas City Crossroads’ July First Fridays

intevli, a free interactive event mapping app created for Kansas City’s First Fridays, will hold its official launch party on Friday, July 6, 2012 at Think Big Partners’ parking lot located at 1800 Baltimore in the Crossroads Arts District.

Created by Van Osdol and Magruder attorney Chris Brown and Adcuda’s vice president of technology Tom Jenkins, intevli has been built to help attendees of large events filter what they do and don’t want to explore.  The launch of the app will focus solely on Kansas City’s First Fridays, an event that takes place every first Friday of the month to celebrate the Crossroads Arts Districts’ art scene, businesses, restaurants and entrepreneurs.

“I think people have confusion about First Fridays,” says Brown. “They don’t know where to go or what to do.  We hope that intevli will draw people in not only from downtown, but from the suburbs too.”

The free app will allow users to explore and filter through events to find what they care about most.  With intevli, attendees of First Fridays will now be able to find out about art events, shopping deals, restaurants, entrepreneurial meetups and even parking availability when they install the app on their iPhones or Android smartphones.

“We need more people, especially from the suburbs, to participate in First Fridays,” says Brown.  “That’s our goal.  We also want to get more people involved in the entrepreneurial community.”

In the future, the intevli co-founders hope to expand its reach beyond First Fridays and become an app for large events such as music festivals, art fairs, barbecue competitions, concerts and more.  Crossroads Arts District businesses are invited to sign up for intevli today to for free event promotion during First Fridays.  Events can be posted at http://intev.li/venue/.

The intevli launch party will start at 6:00pm on Friday, July 6, 2012 (during First Fridays) at Think Big Partners’ parking lot on the corner of 18^th and Baltimore.  First Fridays attendees are invited to come learn more about the app, download it to their smartphones and provide feedback to the intevli team.  The intevli launch party will be a part of Think Big Partners’ Entrepreneur Corner event, which takes place each First Fridays at 1800 Baltimore.  This First Fridays, Entrepreneur Corner will be All-Star themed and will not only feature the new intevli app, but will bring in a baseball pitch speed reader, an opportunity to pitch an idea to camera (Pitch Here, Pitch There), a grand slam photo booth from Life Equals and much, much more!  Learn more here.  

To learn more about intevli, please visit http://www.intev.li.  The app will be downloadable on July 6, 2012. 

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

KCADC Embraces Kansas City Speed: FastKC Annual Meeting

Kansas City isn't just growing--it's growing fast. 

How fast?  For one, Kansas City's Internet speed is soon to be the fastest in the world.  With the implementation of the Google Fiber network on KCK and KCMO's fertile soil, businesses will begin to run at the speed of light.  Because of the Google Fiber initiative that has taken a hold of Kansas City, our city has been forever changed.  Many Kansas City organizations, such as the KCADC, have embraced the lightning-speed network, and in turn, KC has been recognized by a number of big media names; from the Wall Street Journal to Forbes.

But the KCADC is asking one important question: is Kansas City learning as fast as the world is changing?  And that question will be answered at an upcoming KCADC event.  It's appropriately named FastKC: The KCADC Annual Meeting 2011.

At the event, the KCADC is inviting movers-and-shakers from the Kansas City area to listen to how light-speed advancements in global commerce will affect business.  The event will look at radical ideas and offer practical advice that will help anyone get a jump on the competition.

So who's all making it out for the KCADC Annual Meeting?  Join keynote speaker Bill Taylor (co-founder of Fast Company and author of Practically Rad) along with the Honorable Sly James, the Honorable Joe Reardon and major Kansas City businesses (such as Sprint, Garmin, Hallmark, the Kauffman Foundation, Lockton and others) to see what the fast buzz is all about.  FastKC will take place on Friday, November 4th at the Kansas City Convention Center's Grand Ballroom.

Act fast (just like our future internet)!  Sponsorship availability will end on Wednesday.  If you or your company wants to get involved, be sure to check out the Sponsorship page.

Interested in attending? Entrepreneurs, investors, technology enthusiasts, business owners and the like can register at the KCADC site for an individual seat and the chance to get in front of Kansas City's most prominent and influential people.

Written by Allison Way
@AllisonThinkBig