Compute Midwest named top national tech conference
August 17, 2016 | Bobby Burch
Consistently attracting futurists and tech leaders from around the U.S., Compute Midwest recently was named a national tech conference that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Inc. Magazine included the annual, Kansas City-based conference on its “Top Tech Conferences You Can’t Miss This Fall” list, noting the event’s traditionally strong lineup of speakers.
Presented by the Disruption institute, the event previously has featured such speakers as Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, iRobot founder Rodney Brooks, former NASA CTO Chris Kemp, former Makerbot CEO Jenny Lawton and more. Scheduled for Nov. 2, Compute Midwest 2016 already is primed for a solid lineup, hosting Hyperloop Transport Technologies COO Bibop Gresta and Biobots CEO Danny Cabrera.
Here’s what Inc. had to say about Compute Midwest:
“Kansas City? That’s right. Hailing from the first city chosen for Google Fiber, Compute Midwest is one of the world’s leading future-focused tech conferences. More than 1,000 attendees exploring the technologies transforming tomorrow and learning how the world-class speakers overcame enormous challenges to create breakthrough innovations. Topics include: self-driving cars, robots, space travel, artificial intelligence and more.”
Other tech conferences that landed on the list were Lisbon-based Web Summit, TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Wall Street Journal Digital Live in Laguna Beach, Dreamforce in San Francisco and others.
Disruption institute founder Michael Gelphman said he’s expecting around 1,000 attendees this year for Compute Midwest. He added that he’s excited to share the event’s inspirational ethos with more people in the region and that he hopes the magazine’s nod will help spread the word.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be on a short list of the most prestigious conferences around the world,” Gelphman said. “I hope this feature shows that truly remarkable things can be built from the heart, right here in Kansas City.”

2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Missouri’s best breweries are in Kansas City (and they have the medals to prove it)
Two Kansas City brewers barreled through the competition earlier this week, earning the first-ever, statewide “Brewery of the Year” honors for local favorites Boulevard and BKS Artisan Ales. It’s a feat fermented through years of dedication by the teams behind the labels, both brewers said. “From the day we opened, we have kept balance with…
World Cup readiness event opens City Hall to entrepreneurs hoping to get on the roster
Kansas City wants to score as many points as possible when the FIFA World Cup arrives in 2026, said Janá Wagner, emphasizing that a special event planned Tuesday during GEWKC aims to get businesses into the game now — playbook in hand. “Our goal is to help as many entrepreneurs as possible get properly licensed,…
10 top event picks for GEWKC; build your own schedule from 60+ sessions
With dozens of events on the calendar for GEWKC, Union Station will be bustling with activity, said Callie England, noting organizers intentionally curated a week where attendees can’t go wrong — no matter how they fill out their itinerary. “While the schedule can feel full, it’s truly the best of the best,” said England, director of…
How AI changes the the founder code: ‘This is all moving faster than anyone expected’
New tech opportunities — like artificial intelligence — hold the potential to equalize the Kansas City region among more established startup hubs, investment leaders said Thursday, but to fully take advantage, entrepreneurs who want strong, lasting companies must have a fire inside them. Not to mention grit. “Several really incredible entrepreneurs said, ‘I think the one…
