Silicon Prairie News Announces 48 Finalists for Awards Program (17 From KC and OP!)

Yesterday, Silicon Prairie News announced the top 48 finalists for the Silicon Prairie Awards, which will take place on August 30th at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.  The Awards honor those individuals and companies for outstanding products, strong leadership and noteworthy contributions to the community over the last year.

The Silicon Prairie Awards is made up of 12 different categories.  Some of the most notable include Startup of the Year, Startup Executive of the Year, Silicon Prairie Ambassador and Silicon Prairie Community Champion.

We are excited to announce that 17 different individuals and companies from Kansas City and Overland Park have been nominated in the Silicon Prairie Awards!  A huge congratulations to our great neighbors:

• RareWire (Startup of the Year and B2B Startup of the Year nominee)
• Klink Mobile (New Startup of the Year nominee...and bizperc tenant!)
• Sporting Innovations (New Startup of the Year nominee)
• LockPath (B2B Startup of the Year nominee)
• Front Flip (Mobile App of the Year nominee)
• Leap2 (Mobile App of the Year nominee)
• myHomework (Mobile App of the Year nominee)
• Chris Caldwell, LockPath co-founder and CEO (Startup Executive of the Year nominee)
• Naithan Jones, AgLocal co-founder and CEO (Startup Executive of the Year nominee)
• Matt Angell, RareWire co-founder and CEO (Startup Technologist of the Year nominee)
• Rodrigo Neri, Instin co-founder, iOS and web developer (Startup Technologist of the Year nominee)
• Jake Johnson, Divshot co-founder (Startup Designer of the Year nominee)
• OpenAir Equity Partners (Startup Investor of the Year nominee)
• Greg Kratofil, Polsinelli Shughart PC (Startup Service Provider of the Year nominee)
• Thad Langford, Open Air Equity entrepreneur in residence (Silicon Prairie Community Champion nominee)
• Joni Cobb, Pipeline founding president and CEO (Silicon Prairie Community Champion)
• Nick Seguin, former Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation manager of entrepreneurship (Silicon Prairie Ambassador) 

You can become a part of the Silicon Prairie News Awards too!  A 21-day public voting period began yesterday where you can play a part in selecting the winners.  And be sure to purchase your Silicon Prairie Awards ticket today!

Follow me! @AllisonThinkBig

Microsoft Strengthens Kansas City Entrepreneurship and The Gigabit Challenge

WRITTEN BY ALLISON WAY, SENIOR COPYWRITER & CHIEF EDITOR
Every so often, a product comes along that completely changes the face of entrepreneurship.  In our opinion, Microsoft BizpSpark is this product.  Microsoft BizSpark is a global program that helps software startups succeed by giving them access to Microsoft software development tools, connecting them with key industry players (including investors) and providing marketing visibility to help entrepreneurs start a business.  Without a doubt, it's products like these from companies like Microsoft that are improving the startup world and enabling entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams.  


But Microsoft has gotten involved with entrepreneurship specifically in Kansas City as well.  As a partner for The Gigabit Challenge, Microsoft has offered much more to the entrepreneurial environment in KC.  In fact, Microsoft's own Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Design Startup Director and Advisor Chris Bernard has joined the judging panel and has helped to determine the top 19 Finalists to compete in the Finale event on January 18, 2012. 


With the Microsoft partnership, The Gigabit Challenge is better and stronger than ever before.  The global business plan competition is set on impacting the nation in a positive way and bringing more entrepreneurial ideas and aspirations to the Kansas City area.  Microsoft is helping The Gigabit Challenge do just that. 


A huge thanks to Microsoft for partnering for The Gigabit Challenge.  To read a full list of our partners, please visit http://www.gigabitchallenge.com.


Follow The Gigabit Challenge! @GBChallengeKC    #GBFinale

The Gigabit Challenge Reveals Order of Presenters for Jan. 18 Finale

WRITTEN BY ALLISON WAY, SENIOR COPYWRITER & CHIEF EDITOR


On January 18, The Gigabit Challenge will hold the Finale event at the Kansas City Public Library (Plaza Branch) in which the 19 selected Finalists will pitch their business plans to a panel of standout judges.  This afternoon, Scott Mize and Tyler Prochnow of Think Big Partners drew the order in which the Finalists will present:


GROUP 1
Risk Analytics, LLC
Photaic
Virtual/Real World Wallet Systems
Courthouse USA, LLC


GROUP 2
GET-GIV-GOT System Technologies
Kauzu
Green Earth Aerogel Technology
Somametric
Hong


GROUP 3
Digital City Mechanics
Strategic Office Networks, LLC
RE:Cite
Record Life


GROUP 4
Paruzia Technologies
Damascus Fortune
TiBi.tv
Voter Integrity Party
BigIris.com
SEIN Analytics & Asset Management 


Best of luck to all Finalists competing on the 18th! 


To register to attend The Gigabit Challenge Finale, please click here.  The event is free of charge and open to the public.  


Follow The Gigabit Challenge! @GBChallengeKC

The Gigabit Challenge Order of Presentations to be Revealed Jan. 6 at 1:00pm

Tomorrow at 1:00PM, The Gigabit Challenge will host a live webcast and will reveal the order that the 19 Gigabit Challenge Finalists will present at the Finale on January 18.  The 19 Finalists will be divided into three groups.  Group 1 will present from 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM, Group 2 from 10:15 AM to 11:45 AM and Group 3 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM (exact presentation times are subject to change).

To tune into The Gigabit Challenge’s live webcast and learn the order of presenters, click here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/gigabitchallenge.  The webcast will start at 1:00 PM (CST) on Friday, January 6, 2012. 

Best of luck to all Finalists!  We will see you January 18 at The Gigabit Challenge Finale!

Follow The Gigabit Challenge! @GBChallengeKC

Finalists Announced for The Gigabit Challenge Business Plan Competition on the Google Fiber Network

Last week, the 39 Gigabit Challenge Semi-Finalists submitted condensed business plans in order to compete in the second round of judging for the worldwide business plan competition. Now that the panel of judges has analyzed each business plan, The Gigabit Challenge has announced the Finalists who will continue in the pursuit of the $100,000 Grand Prize, the $250,000 “Born Global” Prize and the opportunity to create disruptive innovations on the Google Fiber Network.

The Judging Panel consists of 30 diverse experts from a variety of fields. The panel includes entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, professional association executives, public and private sector officials and community leaders. A full list of judges can be found at http://www.gigabitchallenge.com/about/judges.

All 39 submitted business plans were of extremely high quality. Through a rigorous analysis of business plans, the judges made the difficult decision of narrowing down the top 19. The Gigabit Challenge Finalists are:

Andrew Ying, Hong
Bob Wray, CourthouseUSA LLC
Brett Simpson, record life
David Windhausen, TiBi.tv
Don Peterson, BigIris.com
Eddie Tapper, GET-GIV-GOT System Technologies
Fortunato Cardenas, Green Earth Aerogel Technologies
Jason Arnold, Paruzia Technologies
Jeff Stull, Risk Analytics LLC
Jim West, Somametric
Kristin Kenney, RE:Cite
Marc Canter, Digital City Mechanics
Michael McKinzy Sr., Voter Integrity Party (V.I.P.)
Michael Shear, Strategic Office Networks LLC
S. Vaideeswaran, Damascus Fortune
Samuel Belu-John, SEIN Analytics & Asset Management
Scott Hardiek, Virtual/Real World Wallet System
Seak Meng Lay, Photaic
Sonia Lin, Kauzu

These Finalists are invited to present pitches for their businesses at The Gigabit Challenge Finale on January 18, 2012 at the Kansas City Public Library located on the Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. Finalists will submit a presentation of no more than 15 slides and deliver a ten-minute pitch before a panel of international judges. This will be followed by five minutes of questions from the judges. The Finalists must be present at The Gigabit Challenge Finale to be eligible for a prize.

The Gigabit Challenge Finale is a free event open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. At the event, attendees will have the chance to watch the final pitch presentations, network and learn more about Google Fiber, ultra-high-speed Internet and entrepreneurship in Kansas City.

“We are very enthusiastic about the response we have received to The Gigabit Challenge from contestants, partners, investors, government officials and many others,” said Scott Mize, who originally proposed The Gigabit Challenge and is a member of the organizing team. “We have also been impressed by the quality of the entries. The judges have chosen these 19 Finalists from a field of 113, which hailed from 22 states and five continents. The Finalists come from around the world including Kansas, Missouri, California, New York, Illinois, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. We are looking forward to a great live pitchfest and awards ceremony at the Finale which can be viewed online from anywhere on the globe.”

For more information about The Gigabit Challenge or to express interest in becoming a partner, please visit http://www.gigabitchallenge.com or contact Ann DeAngelo at 816-842.5244.  

For more information or to register to attend The Gigabit Challenge Finale, please visit http://gigabitchallenge.eventbrite.com/.