Events Preview: Chat with Victor Hwang, Municipal Innovation
December 13, 2016 | Meghan LeVota
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you.
Weekly Events Preview
Innovation Exchange
When: Dec. 14, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Where: Think Big Coworking
Rarely are all the facts of breaking news included in the stories we read. From the coincidences that led to a business deal to the personal challenges along the way, there’s often a fascinating patchwork of details that remain in reporters’ notebooks. Think of Innovation Exchange as a chance to open a news organization’s notepad for a view into its sources’ rich backstories. Startland News editor Bobby Burch will explore breaking news in Kansas City entrepreneurship via a fireside chat with the newsmakers that catalyzed the headlines. This month, Bobby will be talking with Kauffman’s vice president of entrepreneurship Victor Hwang, KCK’s Chief Knowledge Officer Alan Howze and KCMO’s innovation analyst Kate Garman.
Innovation Partnership Program Demo Day
When: Dec. 13, 5:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.
Where: Sprint Accelerator
You’re invited to join Mayor James & City Manager Troy Schulte for Kansas City’s inaugural Innovation Partnership Program Demo Day. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to hear lightning presentations by the seven partners selected in 2016 to pilot a service within City Hall!
Poe Man’s Challenge
When: Dec. 13, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: Think Big Coworking
Poe Man’s Challenge is an event that bridges at-risk youth and tech entrepreneurs in a competition to see which team can present their company the best in a “Shark Tank”-like setting. A number of Dontari’s teammates will be there, along with a Harlem Globetrotter and various tech luminaries.
Digital Health Innovation Forum
When: Dec. 14, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Sprint Accelerator
Over the past year, the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City have convened broad workgroups on opportunities in health IT, population health, and how we transition from a fee-for-service to outcomes-based health reimbursement models. While these two efforts began with specific and discrete objectives, there has been some significant overlap in the ensuing discussion and big ideas about the opportunities for better community health in Kansas City.
Among our speakers will be:
Keith Gary, Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute
John Spertus, Health Outcomes Sciences, Co-Chair of KCALSI Health IT Outcomes Workgroup
Karen Johnson, Blue Cross Blue Shield BlueKC Blue Ribbon Panel
Questions?
Contact: John Fitzpatrick, Health Consultant, KC Digital Drive: jfitzpatrick@kcdigitaldrive.org
TechrIoT KC: An Internet of Things community
When: Dec. 14, 7:00 p.m.
Where: IBM
TechrIoT is a Kansas City-based community of Internet of Things (IoT) entrepreneurs, executives, manufacturers, investors, engineers, suppliers and academics. Together, we’re collaborating to enhance speed to market for innovative new IoT products and services and convening Kansas City’s ecosystem of resources for ground-breaking companies.
Ongoing events
Don’t miss out on the events that happen every week at the same time, in the same place.
Code for America Hack Night
Mondays from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Sprint Accelerator
Coworking Wednesdays
Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Sprint Accelerator
Hammerspace Open House
Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Hammerspace
1 Million Cups
Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at Kauffman Foundation, Lawrence and KC Live Stream
Looking ahead
KC Roundtable Breakfast
When: Dec. 22, 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Where: Eggct
KC Roundtable is in existence to provide 20 and 30-something Kansas City entrepreneurs with a group of peers to support and collaborate on each others’ businesses. Our mission is to: – Focus on relationship building; not lead generating – Facilitate collaboration, openness, transparency, learning and teaching – Establish an entrepreneurial network – Fill the void of not having the water cooler.
We meet for breakfast and various locations around the city. In addition to our morning meetings, KC Roundtable provides additional opportunities to network with young entrepreneurs such as events like small group Mastermind sessions & After Hour events.
Prospective members are self-motivated, curious, open to learning and currently starting a new business. Thanks for checking us out. We look forward to meeting you soon!

2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Study: Lack of funding curbs early-stage biz growth in Kansas City
The Kansas City metro area is losing out on millions of dollars in investment funding that could be helping to add jobs and grow businesses in the region, according to a new study. In recent years, area early-stage businesses’ progress has been stymied thanks to Kansas City’s lacking of microloans, seed capital and locally-based venture…
Sprint Accelerator Demo Day preview (part I)
The second class of the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator is gearing up for its much-anticipated Demo Day, which serves as a culminating event and is expected to draw a crowd of nearly 2,000 people. Led by Boulder-based Techstars, the Kansas City-based accelerator is now hosting 10 mobile health tech startups from around the world for…
Mayor Sly James helps startup 1 Minute Candidate build, win competition
Kansas City Mayor Sly James stepped up this Sunday to help a team of entrepreneurs win a competition in which they built a business in 54 hours. James, a well-known cheerleader of Kansas City’s startup community, helped political-tech startup 1 Minute Candidate launch its platform at Startup Weekend Kansas City, a event in which entrepreneurial-hopefuls…
Local weight lifting tech firm Rack Performance lands $250K
A Lenexa-based tech company is racking up investment capital to further develop its weight room management software. Rack Performance recently raised $250,000 from local, private investors that will help the company advance the second version of its software. Rack Performance built a web-based, weight room and group fitness platform to help coaches and trainers efficiently…
