Global Entrepreneurship Week returns with dozens of events planned in Kansas City
November 8, 2023 | Ansley Franco
Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Missouri Business Alert, a member of the KC Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, and The Kansas City Beacon.
Click here to read the original story.
Kansas City’s annual multi-day educational and networking event for entrepreneurs begins Monday.
Global Entrepreneurship Week draws thousands of like-minded individuals to more than 50 events to interact, learn from experts and hear success stories for no cost.
Business professionals will lead sessions on such topics as how to be a “solopreneur,” the importance of personal branding and bookkeeping essentials.
Plexpod Westport at Park 39
The event’s main sessions will be held at Plexpod Westport by Park 39 from Nov. 15 to 17. Other events will take place at various locations around the Kansas City metro area over the course of a week.
Plexpod offers office spaces for entrepreneurs, startups and growth-stage companies of all sizes.
Gerald Smith, founder and CEO of Plexpod, said he is excited that his business was selected as this year’s central location for Global Entrepreneurship Week.
“It’s these types of events that really open you up to things that you wouldn’t experience otherwise,” Smith said.
Smith is a self-described lifelong entrepreneur. He started his career in digital media, working with brands like AMC Theatres and John Deere for 25 years.
“There’s a bit of a pay it forward for my wife and I with Plexpod. I absolutely love being around others that remind me of myself in starting their companies,” Smith said. “Entrepreneurship knows no boundary.”
Jess Dyroff, co-founder of Brightside Creative, plans to attend multiple sessions at Global Entrepreneurship Week. She started the company in April to transform businesses using creative strategy and branding expertise.
Dyroff said she is most interested in hearing the lessons from older entrepreneurs and is excited about the expertise people are showing up with at GEW.
“We’d love to just expand our reach and really put ourselves out there to meet new faces within the small business community,” Dyroff said.
Chris Bohannon, founder of Artist KC, also plans to attend. Bohannon is a retired middle school art teacher who left teaching in 2017 to open her business making custom acrylic paintings of pets.
This will be her fourth consecutive year participating in the event.
“I think the most appealing part of GEW is that everyone on stage presenting is an experienced entrepreneur that is offering you free advice and resources, and nothing beats hearing it from somebody who’s already been there,” Bohannon said.
On top of also attending the events, Madison Clark, founder of Grief Cards, will be leading a session about working with emotions.
“I’m talking about the intersection of where entrepreneurship and grief meet, and how to work with those emotions and build an entrepreneurial life that works with them instead of acting like they don’t exist,” Clark said.
Dr. Shelley Cooper accepts the $25,000 first-place prize at the AltCap pitch competition during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2022; photo courtesy of Dr. Shelley Cooper
The week will also feature the AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition, where $40,000 will be awarded to four winners.
The competition was open to owners of businesses with less than $250,000 in annual revenue. Ten finalists will pitch at AltCap’s event 3 p.m. on Nov. 16.
Last year’s winner, Shelley Cooper, pitched Diversity Telehealth, a company that works to bring health care access to people who may not ordinarily have it.
On competition day, Cooper said she was completely surprised when she won the $25,000 first-place prize.
“It’s made a huge difference in my company and is still making a big difference,” Cooper said.
Diversity Telehealth is utilizing a portion of the winnings to cover a new feature that would expand the language options in the app to include Arabic, French, Swahili and Somali.
“I think the main bit of advice is to remember why you’re doing this … and just keep working at it and give it your best effort,” Cooper said. “Keep your heart in it.”
Entrepreneurs who are interested in attending the event can register online. Spots are limited and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Featured Business
2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KCRise fund lands $10M to kickoff startup investing
Kansas City-area startups have a new, local fund to boost their investment rounds. The KCRise fund announced Thursday the closing of $10 million that will co-invest with institutional venture capital groups in early-stage companies based in the Kansas City area. Launched in February in conjunction with the KC Rising economic initiative, the fund was created…
Tech leaders: KC is built to be a hub for driverless cars
The Obama administration on Tuesday revealed a set of guidelines for automakers to ensure a safe, efficient rollout of self-driving vehicles in the United States. The rapid development of autonomous vehicle tech, according to the administration, makes it clear that its emergence into American’s everyday life is no longer a question of if — but…
Parallels emerge between Midwest, Belfast entrepreneurs
Belfast, Northern Ireland — Despite the some 4,000 miles between them, entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland and the Midwest have more in common than one may know. During a series of business and social gatherings with members of the Pipeline entrepreneurial fellowship program, Belfast entrepreneurs quickly learned how similar they are to those in America’s “flyover”…
Olathe partnership bears fruit in latest Digital Sandbox cohort
With the buzz of Techweek KC still in the air, Kansas City-based incubator Digital Sandbox reveals the four new startups in their program. Directed by Jeff Shackleford, Digital Sandbox invests up to $25,000 in area companies and provides proof-of-concept resources. Launching in 2013, the incubator has worked with over 300 entrepreneurs and early stage companies…