GEWKC just launched its 2024 lineup; Here are three of the can’t-miss entrepreneur events
August 30, 2024 | Tommy Felts
Inspiration — and top honors — are on the calendar this fall as registration launches for Kansas City’s busiest week in entrepreneurship. Among the headline events for the connection-packed summit: two grants competitions and a new-to-GEW celebration of Kansas City innovation.
GEWKC organizers Callie England and Chanté Keller, KCSourceLink, speak during the 2023 AltCap Your Biz pitch competition in the Medallion Theater at the Offices at Park 39; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Organizers this week released the official schedule for the in-person Nov. 19-21 Global Entrepreneurship Week – Kansas City event series. Boasting a high-profile base camp at Union Station, GEWKC features a curated selection of back-to-back content every hour with networking, food, and drink.
Click here to view the just-posted Tuesday-Thursday event schedule and here to start building your custom GEWKC agenda.
Additional community events are planned outside the Union Station base camp throughout the week of Nov. 18-22.
Major events capping each day of GEWKC events include:
- LaunchKC Liftoff — 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 19, J. Rieger & Co. Distillery — An initiative of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and the Downtown Council, LaunchKC plans to showcase seven to eight grant-winning tech startups, each winning $55,000 (up from $50,000 in past years), as well as downtown office space, and extensive programming and network-building opportunities. Grant winners present their companies during the live showcase. Applications close Sept. 16. Click here to read more about the 2023 LaunchKC grant winners.
- AltCap Your Biz pitch competition — 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20, City Stage at Union Station — Now in its ninth year, the competition returns with more than $40,000 in cash prizes for Kansas City entrepreneurs. Applications open Sept. 16 and close Sept. 30. Prizes include $25,000 for first place. Click here to read more about the 2023 AltCap Your Biz prize winners.
- UMKC Entrepreneur of the Year Awards — 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 21, Copaken Stage at H&R Block World Headquarters — The University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation presents the annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards, joining the official GEWKC lineup for the first time. In addition to the not-yet-announced Student Entrepreneur of the Year award, honorees include: Chris Carver, Ron Labinski, Joe Spear, Dennis Wellner and Earl Santee, representing the founders of Populous (Henry W. Bloch International Entrepreneurs of the Year); Pat McCown and Brett Gordon, founders of McCownGordon (Kansas City Entrepreneurs of the Year); and Natasha Herdman, founder and CEO of Pawsperity (Marion and John Kreamer Award for Social Entrepreneurship). The event opens with a reception and student venture showcase. Click here to read more about the 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year winners.
To attend these events and other free sessions and workshops during GEWKC, registration is required via the online Whoova platform at gewkc.com. Attendees can use the platform to build their agenda with dozens of sessions led by experts for those who want to start a business or side hustle, scale their operations or elevate their marketing.
“Global Entrepreneurship Week — Kansas City will help you learn new things to boost your business or side hustle, connect with key experts and have a little fun,” said Callie England, director of brand marketing for the UMKC Innovation Center and KCSourceLink, which has organized GEWKC since 2008.
Union Station, Kansas City; photo courtesy of KCSourceLink
Joel Barrett, KC Rainbow Tour, Joel Speaks Out
The week’s base camp festivities open at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at Union Station with “What I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Business” (by author, entrepreneur and professional speaker Joel Barrett) and a breakfast sponsored by Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
While the event series features a range of marquee events and social gatherings, a core function of the annual celebration of entrepreneurship is providing macro to micro learning opportunities for emerging and aspiring entrepreneurs, England noted.
“This is a great introduction to Kansas City’s huge entrepreneur community, which features 230+ nonprofit Resource Partner organizations that can help you start, scale and accelerate,” she said. “You’ll meet so many great people and experts who can help you clear that hurdle and make your next or first move forward. Even if you’re just exploring entrepreneurship, this is a great event to see what you’ll need and meet those who can help you.”
Global Entrepreneurship Week is an international celebration that, for the past 17 years, has inspired millions of people to explore their potential as entrepreneurs and connect with their local entrepreneurship communities.
Founded in Kansas City by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2008, the event has since expanded to more than 180 countries.
Featured Business
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
It began as a one-man DJ; now this ‘Platinum’ experience is landing KCI’s first big event at the new terminal
In-person events are back with vengeance, said Kris Nardini; and Platinum XP is positioned to plan experiences coming only from one’s wildest imagination. “Platinum XP is a single-source, full-service event planning agency. This means that we can quickly create proposals — that are very creative — but also on budget,” explained Nardini, the owner and…
‘Every business matters, every job matters’: How $69M in federal funds is already boosting KS entrepreneurs
Kansas will use a recent influx of federal funding to strengthen the state’s small business and venture capital ecosystems, according to project leaders of a new high-profile effort focusing on equitable access. The state was allocated $69 million earlier this year as part of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), a federal program that…
Scavenger Tech greenlights indoor-outdoor exploration with box that only unlocks by visiting GPS markers
An inventor’s GPS-driven scavenger hunt device provides needed adventure in the physical world — minimizing screen time while unlocking meaningful challenges and experiences, said Jeff VanDeusen. “I’ve always been someone who likes to go outside and enjoy nature, and I know that’s not always what engineers are known for,” said VanDeusen, creator of Scavenger Tech and…
‘Newbie’ maker collective adds gifts, plants and untamed flair with new West Bottoms shop
The West Bottoms might be known for its vintage shops, but a just-opened maker collective full of new retail is hoping to add to the neighborhood’s narrative. 12th Street Post — a mixed-use retail space with about 80 local makers and vendors at 1501 West 12th St. — celebrated its grand opening Dec. 2. The…