Compute Midwest rebrands, announces expansion to the Windy City
June 2, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
The Kansas City-based tech conference formerly known as Compute Midwest has announced a rebrand and expansion to Chicago.
The conference, which has been recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the top tech conferences in the nation, has changed its name to become Dare Mighty Things. Since its launch in 2012, the conference has consistently attracted a broad audience, including entrepreneurs, developers, venture capitalists, creatives, executives and more.
Founder Michael Gelphman said he believes the name will allow the conference to reach a broader audience.
“The previous name kind of constrained us — we want to become something more global,” Gelphman said. “Anybody who hears that name automatically will think this is just for super techy people. … The conference is for anybody who’s creating anything who wants to be inspired.”
Presented by the Disruption Institute, the event previously has featured speakers such as Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, iRobot founder Rodney Brooks, former NASA CTO Chris Kemp, former Makerbot CEO Jenny Lawton and more.
Gelphman hopes the rebrand will help Dare Mighty Things expand its reach while breaking down silos within the tech, creative and business communities.
“These segmented communities are all coming together and seeing what kind of ideas and conversations come out of it,” Gelphman said. “That’s part of the magic — bringing these different people together.”
Dare Mighty Things is set for Nov. 3 in Chicago. Although Gelphman said he’s enjoyed holding the conference in Kansas City for the past six years, he’s excited about the conference’s growth.
“We are looking forward to the opportunity to see what we could do in Chicago and completely start from scratch,” Gelphman said. “We also know that many people from Kansas City will still be attending.”
Gelphman expects about 1,000 registrants and added that attendance has grown each year since its launch. In addition, Dare Mighty Things will offer a podcast this year, featuring interviews with top innovators from around the world.
“We want it to be more than just a conference,” Gelphman said. “The podcast will allow us to continuously create content and help with brand awareness. We want listeners to get the same feeling from the content that they experience at the conference.”
To learn more or to register for Dare Mighty Things, click here.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Why an Evangelical church in KCK opened a thrift store to build leaders in its immigrant-rich neighborhood
The heart and purpose of Mission Adelante is to develop and empower community members — especially its neighbors who come from backgrounds far from Kansas City, said Jared Meek. “We started Mission Adelante in 2005 to really reach out to the immigrant and refugee community in our neighborhood. We focused a lot on individual transformation,…
Halo championship arrives downtown as KC-built esports team ‘pioneers a dynasty’
KC Pioneers gain support of Chiefs, Charlie Hustle and other hometown household names for its #MyCity campaign as Kansas City hosts major esports tournament It’s time to showcase Kansas City’s esports and tech community on a global scale, said Mark Josey — and what better way to do so than with a worldwide tournament hosted…
Meet the KC Chamber’s Top 10 for 2022: One will be the next ‘Small Business of the Year’
From a rapidly expanding restaurant chain to a 24/7 daycare facility to a workforce training and information technology leader building a statewide footprint, the finalists for the 2022 Small Business of the Year award run the gamut of forward-thinking Kansas City ventures, said Joe Reardon. “Every year I become more and more impressed with our…
Three-way tie: Public vote mixes ‘Fan Favorite’ small business honors between meals and more
A trio of Kansas City small businesses is sharing the Honeywell Fan Favorite Award this week after wowing the public during the Chamber’s recent candidate showcase at Union Station. “The rules can be bent,” said Eric Wollerman, president of Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies, announcing the three-way tie in the lead-up to the Greater Kansas…