Entrepreneurs identified COVID needs — now GEWKC needs your help to solve them

Challenges exposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are prompting a more focused slate of programming for Global Entrepreneurship Week Kansas City, Jenny Miller said, as organizers of the community-sourced celebration open applications for virtual “GEWKC Prime-Time” events.

Prospective hosts will sign up for events in specific topic areas – such as starting a business, developing a marketing strategy, pivoting, preparing for funding and financing — that surveyed business owners requested.

Click here to read more about GEWKC’s decision to lean into recession-focused needs.

“This new, three-day virtual platform is designed to help people start businesses and help existing business owners rebuild, especially during the challenges COVID-19 has presented, but we also want it to be a space for community members to connect from anywhere,” said Miller, GEWKC organizer and senior director of regional ecosystem development at the UMKC Innovation Center. “The GEWKC team hopes to create a ripple effect that fuels relief, allowing entrepreneurs to forge new pathways to resilience and prosperity.”

In addition to networking, interactive breakout sessions and other virtual activities during the Nov. 17-19 virtual event series, organizers are planning the GEWKC Prime-Time sessions to be broadcast for anyone, anywhere to see, she said. Prime-Time events will also be recorded and made available to anyone after GEWKC.

Click here to see what event topics and times are available. Submissions are open now through Sept. 25.

Those interested in presenting are also asked to submit a basic abstract of their event to include learning goals and outcomes. Hosts selected for GEWKC Prime-Time events will be notified in early October.

“This new GEWKC virtual format not only allows for social distancing and safety but also invites speakers beyond Kansas City’s regional entrepreneurial community,” GEWKC organizers said.

During the day, attendees can participate in around 50 engaging, GEWKC Prime-Time events that will take place, virtually, over four hours during the day.

GEWKC will also open up to virtual and small, in-person GEWKC Community events, held throughout the community and region, giving aspiring and established entrepreneurs more chances to connect and network.

Registration for GEWKC Prime-Time events is expected to begin Oct. 12, with GEWKC events added through Nov. 11.

Since it launched in 2008, Global Entrepreneurship Week — an annual celebration in November comprised of thousands of events and competitions across the world — has expanded to 170 countries.