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
New in KC: How two OU alumni secured over $1M from NASA, US Air Force for 3D printing startup
Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. This series is sponsored by C2FO, a Leawood-based, global financial services company. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Replicating the founding…
Flyover Capital closes its Tech Fund II over $60M, targeting new seed, post-seed startups
Tech startups raising seed and post-seed funding will benefit most from the close of Flyover Capital Fund II, the venture capital firm said, announcing Thursday its oversubscribed close. “The oversubscribed fund brings Flyover Capital’s total assets under management to approximately $110 million,” the Overland Park-based venture capital firm said in a release, outlining plans for…
It’s ‘Teacher Appreciation Year’ as blooom launches 12 months of free services for educators
After an especially difficult year for teachers — navigating safety protocols and virtual classrooms, among other pandemic challenges — a Kansas City startup plans to offer its finance and retirement services free to educators for 12 months and at any price level, said Chris Costello. “Many [traditional] plans are needlessly expensive and complicated, which is why…
Voting now open: Startup’s stem cell scaling solution vies for ‘Coolest Thing Made in Kansas’
An Olathe biotech lab is once again growing “Coolest Thing Made in Kansas” honors with its breakthrough technology to help researchers produce stem cells at a massive scale to help fight pandemics and global diseases. T-Blocks were announced Tuesday as one of the Top 32 contenders in the Kansas Chamber’s annual Kansas-made tournament, which highlights…