Startup Weekend returns to Kansas City in June
April 18, 2017 | Bobby Burch
People often ruminate for years on a startup idea, calculating risk, analyzing a market and perfecting a pitch.
With Startup Weekend, that course of contemplative construction is distilled into 48 hours of ideation, iteration and presentation. And after a year hiatus, the event is returning to Kansas City for wild weekend of founding fury.
Startup Weekend is set for June 9 – 11 at the yet-to-be announced Techstars Kansas City offices. Locally, past winners of Startup Weekend have included 1 Minute Candidate, LoopLogiq, Zaarly and others.
We spoke with Startup Weekend organizer John Coler about the event, its needs and tips for teams.
What is startup weekend?
Startup Weekend is a 48-hour event for developers, designers and entrepreneurially-minded people to get together and create a startup over the course of a weekend. We provide resources via facilitators and mentors to assist teams and they bring expertise from various industries in the Kansas City community.
What kind of people are needed?
We’re open to anyone that has that entrepreneurial drive. We want to do our best to get developers and designers to attend. We need to build things and that’s who we’re hoping for this time around. … We need more developer and design talent. We can get that form startup community and from corporate employees looking to make that entrepreneurial jump.
What types of teams perform well?
It varies. You need a team from a variety of categories, developers, designers and non-technical talent. They need to experiment over the weekend, make prototypes and do customer validation. The teams that typically perform the best are the ones that can get a paying customer over the course of a weekend. I really think anyone can be successful as long as they follow guidelines from the judges.
Any advice for teams?
Come in well rested. It’s a long weekend. Put out feelers on who will be attending. … Do some reading up on lean startup methodology and other resources to understand that. Surf online to see what’s been done before in other Startup Weekends and what’s worked for them. If you’re coming in with a particular idea, do research on what’s out there.
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Bardavon releases enhanced wearable sensors, easy-use app to prevent worker injuries
New sensor technology from an Overland Park health tech and preventative safety startup is expected to simplify data collection and lessen the burden on workers wearing the devices. Bardavon this week announced significant enhancements to its injury prevention solution, Preventure, which includes next-generation wearable technology and a brand-new kiosk app designed to revolutionize workplace safety.…
Another point for Utopia: Small businesses score cash prizes in Access to Money competition
Patricia McCreary is on a mission to show that Kansas City leads the way on senior and disabled care, she shared. Winning the established business category of the SCORE Access to Money pitch competition puts her one step closer, McCreary added. She founded Margaret’s Place — an adult daycare, senior recreation and wellness center —…
Want on stage at GEWKC? Organizers need your ideas for 2024 entrepreneur event series
Kansas City’s business and entrepreneur community is invited to submit sessions for this fall’s Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City, an interactive, community-driven educational experience organized by KCSourceLink. “Kansas City is gearing up for an even better Global Entrepreneurship Week in 2024,” said Callie England, director of GEWKC and marketing director at KCSourceLink, which has organized GEWKC…
Black & Veatch IgniteX accelerator adds six startups focused on carbon dioxide removal
An Overland Park-based corporate innovation hub is set to empower an international roster of startups involved in climate and decarbonization technology — just as news reports point to a record spike in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and intensifying climate concerns. Six companies have been selected for the Black & Veatch IgniteX Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Accelerator,…