Photos: ARtechBBQ party gets the beer cheese flowing with a salted pretzel tech twist
November 4, 2024 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Sweater weather returned Friday night alongside Kansas City’s premiere after-hours celebration of tech, and ARtechBBQ organizer Greg Kratofil couldn’t have been happier, he said.
Greg Kratofil, Polsinelli, and Michael Graber, RSM, speak from the stage during the ARtechBBQ; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“How about this being back in the fall?” Kratofil asked a crowd of well-fed revelers at the party within the party on the grounds of the Kansas Speedway. ARtechBBQ — now in its 13th year — coincides with the annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue.
“I’ve got hot chocolate right now,” added the Polsinelli shareholder, chair of the technology transactions and data privacy practice, and co-office managing partner for the law firm’s Kansas City office. “Beats the hell out of 95 degrees.”
The ARtechBBQ — presented by Polsinelli, RSM, SecurIT360, NextEra Energy Resources, Sailes, Rack Coach, and the KC Tech Council — brought together hundreds from the tech community at what Kratofil calls the closest thing that Kansas City has to Mardi Gras.
Click here to read more about the history of the ARtechBBQ.
Check out a brief event photo gallery below, then keep reading.
Members of the party band Lost Wax perform during the 2024 ARtechBBQ; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“There’s a lot of exciting things going on in Kansas City right now, especially around our tech community,” Kratofil said.
“We’ve been a sponsor and have been investing in the tech community for a long time,” added Michael Graber, RSM partner and blockchain lead, joining Kratofil in front of the ARtechBBQ crowd. “We just love being out here and being part of this.”
With this year’s event moving deeper into the fall schedule, it featured an Oktoberfest theme, complete with bratwurst, a biergarten, pretzel bites with beer cheese, and string lights. Of course, no ARtechBBQ would be complete with smoked meats, so brisket and pulled pork was also on the menu.
Attendees also enjoyed live music from local party band Lost Wax.
Startland News served as the event’s media sponsor.
Check out a photo gallery below by Startland News reporters Taylor Wilmore and Nikki Overfelt Chifalu from the ARtechBBQ below.
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Program commercializing classroom tech spurs 29 startups, dozens of jobs
A Kansas City program is making strides in its efforts to commercialize local, university-cultivated ideas. In the past four years, KCSourceLink’s Whiteboard2Boardroom program helped create almost 100 jobs and facilitated the creation of 29 new startups, according to a recent progress report. Those companies also generated nearly $16 million in follow-on funding, helping to fuel job…
Local entrepreneurs prompt court to hit pause on Kansas ‘patent troll’ rules
A U.S. District Court of Kansas is collecting more public input on proposed legal rule changes after area entrepreneurs expressed concerns that the measures could make the area a haven for “patent trolls.” Patent trolls are non-practicing entities that purchase broadly defined patents with the intention to sue growing companies that are developing tangentially related…
Events Preview: Monitoring financial performance
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. Weekly Events Preview The Budget Series: Monitoring Financial Performance When: Dec. 1, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Where: Enterprise Center of Johnson…
mySidewalk CEO steps down, Stephen Hardy takes the helm
Nick Bowden, the former CEO of Kansas City tech firm mySidewalk, recently resigned from the firm he co-founded. Effective immediately, the company’s former COO, Stephen Hardy, will serve as CEO, Hardy told Startland News. Bowden will remain with the company as an advisor and will serve as a board member. “The company has my full…