HEMP brings Apple co-founder to KC as featured speaker
May 8, 2015 | Abby Tillman
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, will be the keynote speaker at The Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program’s 20th anniversary celebration.
Wozniak’s experience shaping the computing industry and influential product design for Apple have produced him fame as one of technology’s key thought leaders.
“As a successful entrepreneur, Steve Wozniak understands the importance a mentor can make in someone’s life, which is why we’re so excited to have him help celebrate 20 years of inspiring people through mentorship in Kansas City,” HEMP founder Barnett Helzberg Jr. said in a recent release.
The event will also feature the announcement of the first inductee into the newly established “HEMP Hall of Fame” — a program established to honor mentors in the program. Since 1995, more than 300 entrepreneurs have participated in the program and their impact on businesses has been significant. The companies of HEMP participants have on average grown revenue 43 percent and increased headcount by 30 percent.
The event will be held the evening of Thursday, Nov. 19, in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri.
Advance sale group tickets of ten or more seats are on sale now, and individual tickets will be available Sept. 15. More information can be found at www.hempkc.org.
Featured Business

2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
‘Never settle’: He started small, now Drue Stewart is bringing TikTok-famous food to former Westport Ale House
‘Bigger, better, crazier; Never settle; The building had a dark cloud but we are going to bring new life to it’ Less than a year after opening Holy Brunch KC in Westport — and one small expansion — Drue Stewart is making an enormous leap. He’ll go from 2,000-square-feet on one floor, to a 16,000-square-foot…
Great Jobs KC leaps closer to its $100M goal with massive grant to support adult financial stability
A just-announced $60 million investment by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation marks a significant step in a Kansas City-based nonprofit’s plans to support 50,000 adults on their journeys toward financial stability, said Earl Martin Phalen. The grant to Great Jobs KC serves three priorities outlined within the Kauffman Foundation’s new grantmaking strategy: college access and…
Teens tackle universal pain points: Junior Achievement competition pushes students to pitch biz ideas
A new student innovation competition linked to Junior Achievement not only challenges Kansas City teens to develop business solutions for immediate real-world problems, said Will Bowler; fostering entrepreneurial thinking develops longer-term impacts. “This program empowers them,” said Bowler, a teacher at Olathe East High School, as students wrapped up Tuesday’s 3DE Innovators Showcase at the…
Trio of early stage Kansas City startups tapped to join K-State Accelerator focused on boosting Kansas economy
MANHATTAN, Kansas — Seven startups are expected to begin work this month within the K-State Accelerator, earning funds, training and resources to turn their concepts into successful Sunflower State ventures. Three of the selected companies hail from the Kansas City area, including dScribe AI; 4D Leaders; and Rebound Jerseys. The eight-week, virtual Center for Entrepreneurship…
