Nominate Your Favorite Tweeps to Win Free Tickets to iKC!

Do you know of a startup or small business that deserves to win a free ticket to iKC, but hasn’t purchased one yet? We want you to nominate them to win a ticket to the unconference! 

We’re giving away 2 free tickets to 5 different deserving groups and individuals nominated by our Twitter followers. The contest begins Monday, September 23 and runs until Friday, September 27.

Nominating an innovative organization is as easy as 1, 2, tweet! Follow iKC on Twitter (@iKC2013) and tweet @iKC2013 in 140 characters or less who you think could contribute innovative ideas at iKC and deserves a free ticket to the unconference.

Entrepreneurs are known for their innovative ideas; the goal of iKC is to make meaningful collisions that result in ideas that make an impact on our community as a whole.  So be sure to nominate people who not only deserve a ticket, but who can help create collisions and action at iKC 2013!

Nominate the innovators in your life today! Tweet @iKC2013. 

The Technology Entrepreneur Speakers Program is Back in KC!

The Technology Entrepreneur Speakers Program (or Tech ESP for short) ­­presented by the Missouri Small Business and Technology Center is back! This program aims to provide helpful information and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs, startups and businesses at all stages. So whether you are a brand new startup or a seasoned pro, this program has something for you.

The events speaker this time around is Ben Legg. According to the event website,

• Ben Legg is the CEO of Adknowledge and an unabashed Big Data evangelist.
• Ben came to Adknowledge in October of 2011 from European Directories, where he was COO. He previously held the same position at Google Europe.
• Prior to his leadership in the private sector, Ben spent ten years as an officer in the British Army’s Royal Engineers, leading missions in places like Northern Ireland and Bosnia. He subsequently worked for McKinsey & Co. and Coca-Cola as the VP of sales in India.
• Ben is passionate about the intersection of marketing and social media; his company’s AdParlor platform is a global leader in managing Facebook advertising campaigns. In fact, it’s one of only 12 companies Facebook has designated as a Strategic Preferred Marketing Developer (sPMD).

The event will be hosted at:

Polsinelli Shugart PC

700 West 47th Street Kansas City, MO

Tuesday, April 23 @ 5:30PM

Tickets are $15 online or $20 at the door. Free parking is available and beverages will be provided.  For more information, see the event website. As in the past, this is an excellent opportunity to grow your network, learn useful tools for your business, and have fun – we hope to see you there!

Great Minds Think Big Kicks Off Tomorrow at 4pm

It all goes down April 3, 2013 from 4-6:30pm.

Spotlighting Danny O'Neill and Scott Tibbitts.

WHAT YOU’RE IN FOR:

Get ready for Kansas City’s most intimate entrepreneur experience yet!  Great Minds Think Big will spotlight Danny O’Neill from The Roasterie and aerospace entrepreneur Scott Tibbitts in a fireside chat to discuss philosophies, secrets and inside tricks as entrepreneurs.

COME PREPARED:

• Bring plenty of business cards as well as questions for our spotlighted entrepreneurs
• Dress code is business casual (but we don’t mind a startup t-shirt now and then either!)
• Come thirsty—we will be serving beer, wine and a special coffee cocktail.  Appetizers will also be served.
• Parking:  The 1800 Baltimore building is located on the southwest corner of 18th St. and Baltimore Ave. Weinberger Fine Art is on the 1st floor but please enter from the SOUTH double doors. Free parking is available on the street (2 hour parking is fine) or at the Barkley garage (entrance on 18^th & Main) for $5/day.

GET SOCIAL:

Tweet.  Post.  Update. 

#GMTB  -- Great Minds Think Big                               

@BeanBaron --  Danny O'Neill                    

@ScottTibbitts  --  Scott Tibbitts

A Novel Idea for Kansas City Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Nam P. Suh may not be a household name for many entrepreneurs.  But maybe he should be.  As a retired professor at MIT, a director at Forbes and president of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, the man has quite the resume.  But there's more to Nam Suh than an impressive career path.  He also may be one of the great fathers of innovation.

In recent research conducted by Nam Suh, he discovered the importance of the innovation continuum and how we can increase the rate of successful innovation.  One of his research sites was Kansas City, Missouri.  Through extensive research, it was found that Kansas City may lack the the infrastructure and risk-takers it needs in order for rapid innovation to occur.  But there may be a paradigm shift happening in the Show Me State--a shift that could potentially increase the rate of innovation, encourage entrepreneurs to take risks and allow residents "think novel".

At least Jabbar Wesley, economic development professional at Missouri Gas Energy, seems to think so.  According to Wesley, Kansas City is experiencing an interesting paradigm shift.  In order to foster it, he has rounded up a team of entrepreneurs and innovators to host NovelDay--a jam-packed day that celebrates a new era of innovation and entrepreneurship.  The event will assemble novel leaders and organizations with global influence to work together and showcase Kansas City as a NovelCity.

"Peter DiSilva (UMB Financial Corp.) recently told me that Kansas City is one of America's best-kept secrets," says Jabbar.  "I think we need to showcase it!  There are so many dynamic things happening here.  The growth could be a result of Google."

NovelDay will provide a revolutionary platform that facilitates the information and innovation spillover.  The event will feature a NovelBox Mock Incubator (a private meeting space for venture capitalists, staffing interviews, speed consulting and life coaching), meet-and-greets, live demonstrations, panel discussions, video presentations, quick pitches, brand competitions and an awards ceremony   NovelDay will also feature expert speakers such as Todd Long (Cerner), Armstrong Williams (political commentator), Bill Murphy Jr. (Inc.) and Nick Wallenda (Niagra Falls tight rope walker).  The audience will be given insight by a risk-takers round table, informed by a corporate innovation showcase (featuring Google, Cerner, Sporting Innovations and others), entertained by a startup showcase, and awed by "Novel Talks" (which will follow the same format as the well-known TED Talks).  In other words, NovelDay is a jam-packed day of innovation and entrepreneurship.

"I am excited about seeing entrepreneurs, startups, big companies and small companies come together for a cause--that's what's novel," says Wesley.  "We want attendees to walk out of this event and do something!  We want them to discover new ideas, find new opportunities and develop a new energy, new drive and new optimism to say 'hey, I can do it.'"

NovelDay will take place November 29, 2012 from 8:30am-4:30pm at 9400 Ward Parkway in Kansas City, Missouri.  Tickets are available now and range from $15.00 (students) to $35.00 (entrepreneurs) to $60.00 (corporate).  Purchase your ticket today and think novel!

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig