Google Glass Tech Trek Sets Off July 11

Back in April, we were thrilled to announce the creation of Tech Trek--a Google Glass-enabled documentary that explores a number of different startup hubs, technologies and innovations throughout the country.  After finally receiving the Glass hardware, Think Big’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence Chris Shaw is ready to set off on his innovative journey. 

The Trek will explore five of the most innovative tech hubs: Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boulder and Kansas City.  Along the way, Chris and his team will document the journey--from the startups they meet to the dare-devilish activities they complete...all through the frames of Google Glass.

Tech Trek has officially announced its dates as July 11-18, 2013.  The 8-day journey will follow the adventure of Chris Shaw (Think Big Partners), Blake Miller (Think Big Partners), Jason Grill (JGrill Media), Hampton Stevens (The Atlantic), Spencer Walsh (Piscator Media), Rigo Neri (CEO of Instin), Erik Wullschleger (Manager of Consumer Product Marketing at Sprint Nextel) and a representative from Hallmark. 

Stay tuned here as well as the Tech Trek blog for more updates from Chris and the Trekkers.  More announcements and updates soon to come...

Google Glass Documentary Tech Trek will be Presented by Hallmark and Sprint

Two of Kansas City’s largest local companies, Hallmark Cards and Sprint, have teamed up with a group of area entrepreneurs to tell the story of America’s most innovative technology companies on a cross-country road trip using Google Glass.

Google Glass is a head-mounted display unit that connects with the user’s mobile phone to allow for seamless communication over the web. Glass also has a video camera that allows for pictures and video to be streamed over the web.  Only 8,000 individuals worldwide were selected to test the Google Glass hardware in the Glass Explorers program.   One of these Explorers is Chris Shaw, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Think Big Partners and organizer of Tech Trek. 

Tech Trek is a Google Glass-enabled interactive documentary that will tell the story of innovative, early-stage technology companies being built in some of America’s most successful startup hubs.

Chris Shaw, a serial entrepreneur who founded LexSpot and has advised over a dozen technology startups, said he wanted to use Glass to give back to the community that enabled his success.

"Glass is a truly innovative way to tell stories and share experiences," says Shaw. "While I intend to use for Glass for developing mobile applications in the healthcare space, my colleagues and I wanted to test the media capabilities of Glass in a unique way."

Two former Kansas City startup successes Hallmark and Sprint were happy to support Kansas City entrepreneur, Google Glass Explorer and head of the Tech Trek project, Chris Shaw, and help him tell this story. 

“As a Kansas City native, I am thrilled to work with Hallmark and Sprint to tell this story. The idea that the area companies I grew up admiring reached out and funded us on Kickstarter is a testament to how amazing the business community in Kansas City is,” said Shaw.

Hallmark
Hallmark’s roots as a Kansas City startup go back to 1910, when J.C. Hall arrived in Kansas City with two shoeboxes of postcards under his arm and the American dream in his heart.  He had a passion for quality and was driven by a simple belief that first-class products meeting a genuine need would bring business success.

Hall’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion took him from a one-person startup to a 12,000+ strong company that has generated billions of smiles worldwide. 

“Hallmark is constantly seeking ways to collaborate with the world’s best innovators,” said Rob Bensman, Hallmark vice president of strategic alliances. “We’re looking forward to traveling with Tech Trek and interacting with promising startups across the country.”

“Hallmark also is interested in learning how technology impacts the ways in which people connect with one another,” Bensman continued. “Tech Trek provides a unique opportunity for us to observe firsthand how Google Glass will influence communication in the future.”

Sprint
Sprint’s entrepreneurial roots date back more than 100 years as well. Sprint’s founder, Cleyson Brown, successfully took on the Bell monopoly in 1899 from Abilene, Kansas by challenging the status quo through innovation and a commitment to community the Midwest is known for. Since then, Sprint has been developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies across wireline and wireless industries. Sprint recognizes an obvious benefit working closely with startups and entrepreneurs. Much like Cleyson Brown, high-growth entrepreneurs have a unique perspective on technology innovation, move quickly and have little fear of failure.

“At Sprint we believe that helping to nurture the ideas of entrepreneurs and technologists and being present in the creation of new businesses and services is critical to the evolution of our culture and business,” said Kevin McGinnis, vice president of product platforms and services at Sprint.  “We are excited to be participating in the Tech Trek Kickstarter campaign and look forward to seeing what it brings.” 

To learn more about Tech Trek, visit www.techtrek.co.  
Follow Tech Trek! @TheTechTrek 

Innovation: Fostering Creativity in the Workplace

How do you foster innovative culture within your company? Everyone wants to know the answer to this question. During the iKC discussion, “Creativity Survival Skills: Innovation in a Large Ecosystem”, five panelists from Sprint, BATS, MRIGlobal and Hallmark discussed this question, along with many other hot topics.

Innovation. What exactly does this word mean? Author Dr. Michael E. Raynor says everyone has his or her own definition for innovation. One panelist said innovation was “disciplined creativity”. Anyone can have ideas, but if you’re not disciplined, you won’t be able to execute them. Ideas will just stay ideas. How do you get your employees to think creatively? Many companies, like Hallmark, push their employees to do activities outside their skill sets. Herb Sih of Think Big Partners encourages his employees to do things they’re passionate about, beyond the typical work day. Each panelist agreed that it’s necessary for companies to have an open environment so employees can share their ideas. Demolish the “road blocks” put in place and educate your staff so they know the correct channels to go through to get their ideas heard.

The biggest thing I learned during this session is that creativity is crucial for innovation to blossom. Some other things I learned during this discussion are:

• Find the “right” people for your company. Even if there’s not a position available for them, don’t be afraid to make one! Having the right employees can make or break your innovative environment.
• Feedback is crucial. If you don’t give your employees feedback on their ideas, they won’t understand what you want from them. They might keep bringing the same thing to the table.
• Innovation is a journey. Sometimes the idea is good but the timing isn’t. There may be an incubation period for ideas, but that doesn’t mean the idea isn’t great.

Think Big Partners Announces The Gigabit Challenge

January 2010.  Google announces the development of Google Fiber.

March 2011.  Google awards Kansas City, Kansas as the city for the fiber optic network trial.  KC was selected from 1,100 cities that applied.

May 2011.  Google decides to expand the Google Fiber trial to both KCK and KCMO.

July 2011.  Think Big Partners presents The Gigabit Challenge - one of the first initatives for the new Google Fiber network in Kansas City.

Things are happening...and fast.  In about a year and a half, it seems as if Kansas City has gone from zero to 60.  Now that Google has joined Cerner, Garmin and Sprint as part of the Kansas City tech family, the city is emerging as a strong tech hub in the middle of America. 

This morning, Think Big Partners announced the formation of a business plan competition in anticipation of the launch of Google's ultra high-speed broadband network, Google Fiber.  The business plan competition, known as The Gigabit Challenge, will be open to entrepreneurs and innovators from across the globe.  Interested businesses, entrepreneurs and innovators are invited to participate in the competition with the goal of establishing new companies that will fulfill Google's mission of developing new applications that will expand human welfare.

As a community leader in early-stage business innovation and entrepreneurship, Think Big Partners is hosting The Gigabit Challenge so that entrepreneurs and innovators have a head start in utilizing the Google Fiber network. As a worldwide business plan competition, The Gigabit Challenge offers not only the chance for competitors to develop next-generation businesses, but will also foster a surge in innovation and disruptive technology linking Kansas City to the world.

"In the last few years we have seen an explosion of innovation and entrepreneurial activity in the Kansas City area," says Tyler Prochnow, Senior Partner at Think Big Partners. "New technologies are making it easier and easier to launch and grow new ventures. We expect that the Google Fiber network will spawn new waves of innovation both here and across the globe."

Think Big Partners is currently seeking sponsors and judges to participate in The Gigabit Challenge. As a sponsor or judge, organizations and individuals will have a first look at a number of innovative business plans and will gain insight into the direction that the market will take with this new platform.

The Gigabit Challenge will start on October 1, 2011. Winners will be announced and awarded prizes at an event to be held during December 2011. In addition to the prize awards, Think Big Partners will facilitate introductions to investors for further capitalization of the winners. The winners will then be able to implement their applications on the Google Fiber network starting in the first quarter of 2012.

For more information about The Gigabit Challenge or to express interest in becoming a sponsor or judge, please visit The Gigabit Challenge website.

Read the full story...

Written by Allison Way

@AllisonThinkBig