That’s what speed do: Startup Weekend showcases KC creativity and quickness
November 12, 2015 | Natalie Stezovsky
Business ideas can come from anywhere, at anytime.
Natalie Stezovsky
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 is crowned a champion.
“Perhaps more valuable than prospective partnerships is the flexing of competitors’ creative muscles.” – Natalie Stezovsky
Like the Startup Weekends before it, 2015’s final KCSW aims to help innovators or aspiring entrepreneurs quickly build the foundation of a business. Competitors posit ideas, test them, gather feedback and then build a business — all in 54 hours. When time runs out, teams pitch their ideas to judges.
The weekend isn’t about the best-designed app. It’s about the validity of a business idea. Great minds come together to solve a problem and figure out where it’s going to fit in the marketplace. And along the way, entrepreneurs learn from business experts, their teammates and meet potential partners or investors.
Over the years, Startup Weekend has been no stranger to success. Little Hoots and Keyzio are both local and growing firms that were born out of Startup Weekend. Also, Google recently acquired Divshot, which spread its roots from Kansas City Startup Weekend, but is now located in Los Angeles.
But perhaps more valuable than prospective partnerships is the flexing of competitors’ creative muscles. Startup Weekend encourages economic and personal growth through hands-on learning. Participants are introduced to new and unforeseen challenges, forcing the development of new problem-solving skills. You may discover a hidden talent or skill that will serve you in other pursuits.
Startup Weekend is a showcase of the local talent — programmers, designers, accountants, writers and more — that supports and cultivates Kansas City’s future. Even though your idea may not materialize into a viable venture, the skills you develop and friends you make along the way are sure to endure.
Kansas City Startup Weekend is set for Nov. 13 to Nov. 15 and is hosted at the Sprint Accelerator. For more information, click here. Follow the excitement on Twitter on #KCSW.
Natalie Stezovsky is vice president at Influence & Co. and an organizer of Kansas City Startup Weekend. Follow her on Twitter at @nstezovsky.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Startup’s tech putts golf clubs (and expertise) in reach with on-demand caddies, coaches
Mark Lukenbill is on a mission to make golf a more accessible and enjoyable sport for individuals of all backgrounds, he shared. “There’s this stigma that golf is an old, rich, white guy sport; but we’re seeing tons of diversity on the course,” said Lukenbill, the founder and CEO of Mpruv Sports and its premier…
Custom digital avatar tech, affordable housing startup among Scale’s third cohort
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. COLUMBIA,…
Vytelle doubles its bovine IVF lab capacity; outpacing goals since its $13.2M round
A five-year plan initiated by Vytelle’s Series A funding round called for the agtech startup to double its laboratory capacity to produce bovine embryos through in vitro fertilization. Just a year later, the Lenexa-headquarted company already has opened its fifth new lab. Vytelle’s latest facility — in Franklin, Tennessee — is accessible to beef and dairy…
How this homegrown leader is steering a $2B Australian startup’s KC HQ (and 100+ workers) deeper into the Americas
Kylie Uvodich quickly wondered if she’d made a mistake after joining SafetyCulture in 2017, she said. “When I first came over [to SafetyCulture], I thought, ‘What the hell am I getting myself into? I’ll sit here and learn some things for a couple months, and then I’ll get on to my next thing,’” Uvodich recalled.…