Voting open: KC-based efforts vie for spots among SXSW 2018 panels

SXSW 2018 is still six months away, but members of the Kansas City startup community need supporters’ help now to land a coveted spot on the Austin-based conference’s panel lineup for March.

At least three proposals with KC ties are among those being considered during SXSW’s PanelPicker Community Voting process, which runs through Aug. 25. Final selections for the conference are based on public voting, as well as significant consideration by SXSW advisory board and staff.

Locally-linked proposals include:

• “Try to lose: 4 counterintuitive ways to win” — Panelists will challenge attendees on four key ideas: Don’t believe in reality; Don’t trust facts; Don’t listen to anyone; and Try to fail. Organizer, Ricky Catto, innovator, Moonshot. Speakers, Catto; and Karen Faith, director of intelligence and empathy, Barkley.

• “Student entrepreneurship: Beyond the business” — How can entrepreneurship serve as a powerful vehicle for student empowerment, school culture revolution, and community transformation? Organizer, Audrey Reimer, program manager, Real World Scholars. Speakers, Brooke McDonald, co-Founder and CEO, Lead Local; Tina Chavez, teacher, High Tech High North County; Adam Arredondo, executive director, Kansas City Startup Foundation; and Bart Rocco, superintendent of schools, Elizabeth Forward School District.

• “Building a Network of Experiential Educators” — Panelists hope to encourage exposure and engagement by building education connections to advance experiential learning and student outcomes. Organizer, Michaela Duffy, director of strategic initiatives, Northeastern University. Speakers, Lydia Young, associate dean, Graduate School of Education, Northeastern University, Corey Mohn, executive director, Center for Advanced Professional Studies, Blue Valley Schools; and Corliss Brown Thompson, assistant teaching professor, Northeastern University-Charlotte.

“With so many high-quality entries, the selection process is extremely competitive,” according to SXSW organizers.

Supporters can register to vote on the panel proposals here. Search for the entries or click the above links to cast votes once registered.

“There are several peeps from our #StartupKC community vying to get their panels selected. Let’s all show some support and give them some up votes,” said Matthew Marcus, Kansas City Startup Foundation director of operations.