‘Startup Weekend changed my life’: 3-day competition returns with potential $150K investment prize
March 29, 2024 | Taylor Wilmore
COLUMBIA, Missouri — Organizers of Missouri Startup Weekend — a team-based competition that takes a glimmer of a startup idea to a fleshed-out business in three days — are upping the ante in an attempt to give Show-Me State entrepreneurs a platform to spark success.
Sarah Hill, Healium, and Jabbok Schlacks, EquipmentShare, judge 2023 Missouri Startup Weekend pitches; photo courtesy of Missouri Startup Weekend
“Aspiring founders can find people who can help them build out their ideas over the weekend, with the goal of actually launching a company,” said Brett Calhoun, co-chair of Missouri Startup Weekend and general partner at Redbud VC, which organizes and hosts the event. “There’s no other event in Missouri that has that effect on entrepreneurship right now.”
Set for April 5-7 at EquipmentShare headquarters in Columbia, participants are expected to pitch new startup ideas and form teams around the top picks. Throughout the weekend they will develop their concepts through team activities. On Sunday, teams race to the finish with a final pitch for a chance to win $15,000 in non-dilutive funding.
Click here to register for Missouri Startup Weekend.
“Missouri Startup Weekend really helps educate them further on how to build a company, getting them in touch with the right people, resources, and capital,” said Calhoun. “So, if you actually want to build a business, putting all your effort in the event and winning it is a pretty substantial thing.”
Click here to check out the schedule for the April Missouri Startup Weekend event.
Early-stage wins
The best pitch winner also will receive potential investment up to $150,000 from Redbud VC, six months of office space, legal entity formation by Transitions Law Group, and branding support from Heist Collective.
“The judging criteria is a mix of showing all the work that you’ve done over the weekend in terms of what you built, have you talked to customers, did you actually get some sales, and how is your storytelling ability?” said Calhoun.
Chrystal Graves, Liquid Hair Institute, pitches during the 2023 Missouri Startup Weekend competition; photo courtesy of Missouri Startup Weekend
A college student from Mizzou who previously joined in Missouri Startup Weekend raised $1 million for the resulting startup. Chrystal Graves, the 2023 weekend winner launched her own tech business. Organizers want to continue the ripple effect of success for entrepreneurs just getting started.
“Startup Weekend changed my life,” said Chrystal Graves, founder and CEO of Liquid Hair Institute, an online community providing training for salon owners. “It showed me what was possible and helped me build a strong foundation and community to create and scale my tech company.”
Missouri Startup Weekend at EquipmentShare headquarters in Columbia in 2023; photo courtesy of Missouri Startup Weekend
Mentors on deck
The Missouri Startup Weekend team doesn’t want anyone to feel unqualified for the competition, acknowledging that this event is a stepping stone for young entrepreneurs, with a component of collaboration to ease any fears they might have about starting their own business and pitching.
“Startup weekend has the potential to be the first step in a transformational journey for an entrepreneur,” said Willy Schlacks, co-founder of EquipmentShare and Missouri Startup Weekend mentor. “I’m delighted to help, alongside so many others.”
Participants new to the startup world have the opportunity to take advantage of the expertise of qualified mentors to give them guidance and advice on their business concepts, and to form connections for future support.
“It’s the long-term network effect,” said Saskia Cairnes, founder of Heist Collective. “These mentors have genuine connections that they can hook up to some of our young entrepreneurs.”
“It’s almost a scouting call to a lot of them who are at the other end of their career, and they’re ready now to give back to that next generation,” she added.
Featured Business
Taylor Wilmore
Taylor Wilmore, hailing from Lee’s Summit, is a dedicated reporter and a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Taylor channels her deep-seated passion for writing and storytelling to create compelling narratives that shed light on the diverse residents of Kansas City.
Prior to her role at Startland News, Taylor made valuable contributions as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian newspaper, where she covered a wide range of community news and higher education stories.
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
‘9 to 5’ exposed sexism, toxic gender roles at work; 40 years later, has much changed beyond the price of a cup of ambition?
Editor’s note: The following story is part of Startland News’ coverage of the SXSW conference in Austin. Click here to read more stories from the 2022 trip. The minds of women and marginalized employees are still being used without credit more than 40 years after Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda starred in a…
This new agrobot could be the future of farming: chemical-free and swarming in a field near you
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. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. Harvesting…
11 emerging KC startups hit the road for Omaha pitch; one winner drives home with $25K
Editor’s note: Husch Blackwell is a financial sponsor of Startland News, though this report was produced independently by the nonprofit newsroom. More than a third of competitors at the coming Get Started Omaha premier pitch event are expected to represent Kansas City innovation on stage April 6 — vying for $25,000 in prize money against…
Meta promises local jobs, impact; How its $800M plan could post growth (and disruption) to KC’s story
There’s more to Meta’s $800 million upload into Kansas City’s Northland than face value, company officials said Thursday, outlining plans for community impact that extends well beyond anticipated tech jobs. “We have programs that help to equip people, schools, and organizations with the resources to build skills and increase the use of technology,” Darcy Nothnagle,…