GEWKC submissions open: Organizers seek community-sourced ideas for fall event series
June 12, 2025 | Startland News Staff
One of Kansas City’s largest interactive educational experiences for entrepreneurs is inviting community members to drive the conversation when Global Entrepreneurship Week returns in November.
Festivities are set for Nov. 17-22 at Union Station in Kansas City.
The GEWKC event series’ programming is crowd-sourced through submissions from community members and organized by KCSourceLink. Selected concepts are led on event day by the individuals or organizations who submitted them.
Click here to share an idea with GEWKC organizers.
“As a former entrepreneur, I understand how valuable time is when you’re building something from the ground up,” said Callie England, director of GEWKC and marketing director at KCSourceLink, which has organized GEWKC since 2008. “That’s why every session we include in GEWKC is intentionally crafted to offer real, actionable value. In my third year leading this event, it’s been incredibly rewarding to give back by helping curate free, impactful education for our community.”
Organizers are welcoming a wide range of session ideas, from solo talks and expert panels to hands-on workshops, networking events, site visits and more. While creativity is encouraged, space is limited. Sessions that focus on real skill-building, knowledge-sharing and tangible takeaways for entrepreneurs have the strongest chance of being selected.
GEWKC also has traditionally been home to such high-profile startup and small business community events as AltCap Your Biz and LaunchKC’s grant winner reveal.

Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City attendees listen to a panel conversation in the Planetarium at Union Station, basecamp for GEWKC; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Other well-attended GEWKC sessions and workshops have included:
- Happy hours and networking
- “Marketing Mastermind” panel
- “AI and Marketing: Create 30 Days of Content with Chat GPT”
- “Managing ADHD as a Business Owner”
- “Polish Your Pitch: An Interactive Guide on Clarifying Your Story Hook”
- Marketing and sales for artists/makers/creatives
- “Balancing Babies and Business”
- “What entrepreneurs should know about trademarks, copyrights, intellectual property, equity funding, hiring vs. contracting”
“GEWKC was built with the entrepreneur in mind — whether you’re running a business, growing a side hustle or just getting started,” England said. “We want every attendee to walk away with something that truly helps them move forward: practical tools, honest insight and meaningful connections.”
Click here to learn more about GEWKC.
Featured Business

2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Una Mas Empanadas folds authentic Argentinian flavors into new restaurant spot at Parlor
Expanding Silvia Herrera’s business from a food truck in Gardner to one of Kansas City’s most active and eclectic food hubs brings the Buenos Aires-born entrepreneur — and her grandmother’s 50-year-old handcrafted empanada recipe — to an even wider, more diverse audience, she said. “Our empanadas are more than just food,” Herrera said. “They represent…
It’s not too late to preserve KC’s Black-owned restaurants (or to enjoy Black Feast Week)
The recent closures of Soiree, The Krave, and Privee — Black-owned restaurants that each became a staple of Kansas City’s evolving food scene — leave a clear void that can’t be ignored, said Ryan Sorrell. An initiative to help save local culinary should-be hotspots in similar danger wraps this week, but the work to promote and…
Ancestry.com founder-turned-AI evangelist says rapidly advancing tech can uplift humanity, families
People across the globe are caught in an internet malaise, said Paul Allen, and tech visionaries’ response should be to renew humans’ dependence on faith and family and friendship and local community. One of their most critical tools, he said: decidedly non-human solutions from the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. Allen — founder of…
KC filmmaker sees pleasure as a prequel to dystopia hiding ‘In Plain Sight’; His brave new wake-up call
Thomas Rex’s new proof-of-concept film project envisions a near-future world where society is on the verge of totalitarian control, he said, describing a cautionary tale about being unknowingly controlled by a culture of escapism through pleasure and pharmaceuticals. “In Plain Sight” serves as a prelude to Aldous Huxley’s novel “Brave New World,” an acclaimed but…
