Events Preview: Tech CEO Speaker Series, ECJC sales series
August 28, 2017 | 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.
Are you hosting a relevant community event? Add it to the KCSourceLink Calendar for increased exposure. Email info@kcsourcelink.com for assistance.
Animal Health Investment Forum
When: Aug. 29, 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Where: KC Convention Center
Kansas City is home to the KC Animal Health Corridor. Because of its significant animal health industry concentration, the Corridor offers a uniquely supportive environment for early-stage entrepreneurs in the animal health and nutrition industry.
Presenting companies are judged by a panel of industry leaders. The strongest presenter of the day receives the INNOVATION AWARD.
Why attend?
The KC Animal Health Investment Forum provides a unique opportunity for venture capital funds, investment firms and animal health companies to hear from emerging companies with the newest technology.
Build Stronger Bonds with Your Customers by Identifying your Brand Position with Tom and Lynda Morse Brown
When: Aug. 30, 11:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: Sprint Accelerator
The Marketing Series takes an in-depth look at the science and analytics behind marketing campaigns–from the basics of growth hacking to ins-and-outs of content marketing.
The 2017 Marketing Series is offered through a partnership between the Enterprise Center and the Sprint Accelerator on Coworking Wednesdays. After each workshop, you are invited to cowork out of the Sprint Accelerator facility.
Tech CEO Speaker Series with Dow Draper, CEO of Virgin Mobile USA
When: Aug. 30, 7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Where: KU Edwards Campus – Regnier Hall Auditorium
The KC Tech Council and RSM US LLC are excited to announce that Dow Draper, CEO of Virgin Mobile, will discuss why the company chose downtown Kansas City to build its new team and office to deliver the company?s technology focused, digital-first rebrand on Wednesday, August 30.
Dow Draper Bio:
As the CEO of Virgin Mobile USA, Dow Draper and team just disrupted the wireless industry with a game-changing offer called the Inner Circle: Buy an iPhone and get one year of wireless service for $1. A veteran of telecommunications, Dow knows how to drive dramatic performance gains, lead corporate turnarounds and establish profitability improvement for aspiring organizations. Dow has served in senior-level executive positions at Sprint, Clearwire, Alltel Wireless, Western Wireless and McKinsey & Company. Dow graduated from the University of Colorado (Boulder) and earned his MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill).
Hiring and Motivating a Sales Team with Elizabeth Usovicz
When: Aug. 31, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Enterprise Center in Johnson County
The Sales Series teaches entrepreneurs the basics of building scalable sales systems, attracting and compensating top-performing sales staff and customer retention.
Ongoing events
Don’t miss out on the events that happen every week at the same time, in the same place.
Code for KC Hack Night
Mondays from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 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
Coworking Wednesdays
Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Sprint Accelerator
Looking ahead
Startup Rewind
When: Sept. 6, 7:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Where: Deer Creek Country Club
Startup Rewind gives local entrepreneurs a venue to pitch their idea followed by questions and feedback from the audience. This valuable feedback will help encourage and grow their ideas and in turn build a better community through business and entrepreneurship. Come join us for some great ideas and out of the box thinking. The goal is to get the word out about new companies and ideas, while gaining feedback from the community of business leaders and other entrepreneurs. This format will help foster business networking and encourage those entrepreneurs who are creating tomorrows big ideas. The Startup Rewind takes presentations made at other entrepreneurial events from the Startup scene in Kansas City and replays them again. This gives them another chance to get themselves in front of more people who may have missed it the first time around, thus the name Startup Rewind. Startup Rewind meets once monthly on the first Wednesday of the month at Deer Creek Country Club from 7:15am to 8:30am. The event is hosted and sponsored by the Overland Park South Rotary Club.
Xamarin Mobile Dev Platform: Microsoft Hosted Lunch & Learn
When: Sept. 6, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 pm.
Where: Think Big Coworking
Come get an overview of the pros and cons of going with Xamarin as your mobile development platform. Learn what your options are if you already have your apps developed, if you are starting new, or just want to know more about your mobile dev options. This is a business overview with some basic technology concerns discussed. For a deeper technical dive, join us the following day for a coding demo and a chance to code your first cross platform app. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/xamarin-basics-microsoft-hosted-workshop-tickets-36961597132
Lunch provided by Microsoft.
Summer in the Sand Series: Regional Funding for Early-Stage Companies
When: Sept. 13, 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: Sprint Accelerator
Break out your calendar! You do not want to miss this year’s Summer in the Sand series.
“Every year, Summer in the Sand offers opportunities for entrepreneurs to network with each other and learn from some of the best in the industry,” said Jeff Shackelford, director of the Digital Sandbox KC. “We tailor the content to the needs of the startups we are working with and what we see as the hot topics in the community.”
All sessions run from 2:30-4:00 p.m. and are held in conjunction with “CoWorking Wednesdays” at the Sprint Accelerator, a partner of Digital Sandbox KC.
Featured Business

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Artists as activists: Meet the KC group whose creative approach to advocacy needs little interpretation
A Kansas City nonprofit is training local artists on the intersection of art and public policy, hoping to create a generation of creatives ready to advocate for their communities. Heartland Arts KC aims to position Kansas City as a hub of local arts activism, said Logan Stacer, executive artistic director. “I want Kansas City to…
Off to college (towns): Axe throwing, mini golf set for Manhattan, Lawrence as Swell Spark expands at home
Swell Spark is once again expanding its locations, but this time Matt Baysinger and his team are scaling into smaller markets in the founder’s home state of Kansas. Swell Spark — a Kansas City-based entertainment company that creates shared experiences through escape rooms, axe throwing and indoor mini golf — is set to open a…
Athletes to angels: Startup player switches teams, leaving his venture to help connect founders to capital
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. WICHITA — As a fellow founder, Jacob O’Connor can offer empathy in his new role within the NXTUS angel investor syndicate, he shared. After graduating from Wichita State University in…
It’s cannabis trusted by top athletes: How this CBD brand’s KC leader fit everyday wellness with UFC, Crossfit, Royals
A Kansas City-based entrepreneur wants to prove how everyone — from athletes to individuals suffering from chronic health conditions — can benefit from CBD, he said. Dan Huerter, CEO of Pure Spectrum CBD, helped launch the organic phytocannabinoid company in 2016 after learning how CBD had benefited patients suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)…
