Techweek makes intro to Kansas City
August 18, 2015 | Bobby Burch
It only seems fitting that bass-thumping techno music would introduce Kansas City’s most anticipated technology conference.
National tech conference Techweek — which will be in Kansas City from Sept. 14 to Sept. 20 — made its official introduction into the Kansas City community Monday evening with a party at the Sprint Accelerator. After arriving in Kansas City only six hours earlier, Techweek CEO Katy Lynch welcomed more than 100 people at the event, which featured an array of technologists, entrepreneurs and other businesspeople.
Lynch said that her brief time in Kansas City has already been welcoming and fruitful.
“It’s been wonderful,” Lynch told Startland News. “The people here are so welcoming and so friendly; there’s a lot of enthusiasm and charisma. Hearing people’s stories has been great and everyone is so collaborative. Everyone I’ve met has introduced me to another person who does this and that, and that’s really cool. There’s something really special about the startup ecosystem here.”
The conference will begin with a kickoff party Sept. 14 at the Boulevard Brewery, and will feature other events including a pitch competition, job fair, concert and hackathon. Here’s a rough version of the schedule, provided by Techweek.
LaunchKC — an initiative to attract 10 tech firms to relocate to Kansas City — partnered with Techweek to present a demo day competition during Techweek, which is expected to attract hundreds of attendees.
In addition to revealing the conference schedule, Lynch also introduced eight additional speakers to Techweek’s roster.
Speakers include:
- Kristin Smith, CEO of Code Fellows
- John Fein, managing director of Techstars
- Boland Jones, CEO of PGi
- Chris Jeffrey, CEO of OrderUp
- Jim McKelvey, co-founder of Square
- Teffanie Stanard, CEO of MENT
- Anand Sanwal, CEO of CB Insights
- Blake Miller, a partner at Think Big Partners
- John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing
- Claude Aldridge, CEO of Trellie
- Patrick Stuart, senior product manager at Skycatch
- Jonathan Badeen, co-founder of Tinder
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Hear KC newsmakers’ backstory with Startland’s ‘Innovation Exchange’ Oct. 20
Rarely are all the facts of breaking news included in the stories we read. From the coincidences that led to a business deal to the personal challenges along the way, there’s often a fascinating patchwork of details that remain in reporters’ notebooks. Think of the Innovation Exchange as a chance to open a news organization’s notepad…
Embracing the chaos, LaborChart soothes the calamity of construction
Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently produced by Startland News. Entrepreneurship is often attractive to personalities that don’t mind dealing with uncertainty. And though Ben Schultz never envisioned himself an entrepreneur, his experience as an electrical contractor forced him to embrace a myriad of unknowns in the construction industry. “Construction is…
Events Preview: Sports Hack for Social Change Competition
There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious Kansas Citian, we recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW Second Fridays at Village Square When: October 14 @ 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm Where: Village Square Coworking Studio Second…
Kansas Citians preparing for plethora of pitch competitions
A staple of early-stage business — the elevator pitch — will be on full display for the Kansas City community in coming weeks. Entrepreneurs from around the metro area have several upcoming opportunities to pitch their businesses or to hear other innovators deliver spiels on their firms. Here are few of those events. The University of Kansas’…