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
Business, civic leader: Chains of slavery were built for profit (then and now) — together we must dismantle them
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Jeff Simon is managing partner of Husch Blackwell’s Kansas City office. Simon is currently on the board of STARTLAND, the parent organization of Startland News, and previously served as president of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, chair of the Kansas City…
Milkman of CBD: How closing KC Hemp Co’s storefront helped deliver a 600-percent sales increase
A new strain of strategy has KC Hemp Co. going all in on eCommerce, its owners said, announcing the company has permanently closed its downtown Overland Park retail space — transitioning to online sales and limited same-day delivery. “We’ve been able to cut over 80 percent of our overhead,” explained Kyle Steppe, who owns KC…
Neelima Parasker planned for snow days — COVID came instead; How SnapIT is weathering the pandemic in a new space
More than 20,000 square feet of silence greeted Neelima Parasker as she returned to work this week after Stay at Home orders lifted. “Monday we opened up, but really, to very few people,” Parasker, CEO of SnapIT Solutions, said of the startup’s reentry to the traditional workforce — this time, inside a new office space…
Startup veteran pilots Air Traffic Awareness, wants ‘Silicon Valley of Aviation’ to truly take flight
A climbing Kansas City startup could save lives by bridging technology gaps in air travel, said Kashif Hasnie. “Collisions are among the top causes of aircraft accidents in the world,” explained Hasnie, CEO of Air Traffic Awareness. First launched as a class project at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Air Traffic Awareness has developed patent-pending,…