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
That’s what speed do: Startup Weekend showcases KC creativity and quickness
Business ideas can come from anywhere, at anytime. But few events are designed to accelerate a concept to an actual business in only 54 hours. That acceleration — paired with a team of innovative problem solvers — is the essence of Kansas City Startup Weekend. Speed, teamwork and creativity take center stage, and the best idea…
Meet Kansas City’s new chief innovation officer
After a six-month search, the City of Kansas City, Mo., has found a candidate to lead its various tech and innovation initiatives. Kansas City hired Bob Bennett, a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Army, as the city’s second-ever chief innovation officer and will begin leading the City of Fountains’ various tech operations in January. Bennett…
Kansas City to kick off global celebration of entrepreneurship
A week of entrepreneurial jubilation is on its way to Kansas City. Global Entrepreneurship Week, the world’s largest celebration of innovators and job creators, will bring dozens of programs to the area for entrepreneurs of every stripe. Kansas City joins hundreds of cities in more than 140 countries around the world that are participating in…
Schukman: Is social entrepreneurship becoming business as usual?
One year ago, I started building my company by telling the story of social entrepreneurship to the world. Via a podcast, blog and other content, I launched Social Change Nation as the online hub for anyone who aspires to launch a company that makes a dollar AND a difference. At first, I imagined I would…