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.
Are you hosting a relevant community event? Feel free to add it to the FWD/KC calendar for increased exposure. Once your event is submitted, it will quickly get reviewed and then published to the calendar.
LaunchCode workshop #4 Git — There will be tears
When: April 18, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Polsinelli Law
A simple introduction to the distributed version control system known as Git with Richard Garbi.
TOPICS:
* Why Git?
* 3 stage thinking
* 7 Basic commands that will accomplish 90% of your use cases.
ABOUT RICHARD GARBI:
Richard is the founding architect at PayIt. He loves solving hard problems, building awesome teams and working hard on stuff that matters.
LOCATION & PARKING:
Our workshop will be held on the 1st floor room, Conference Center North, next to the security desk.
Free parking is available below Hotel Sorella, next to the Polsinelli office. Entrance available from Roanoke Parkway or Bellevue Ave. Take a ticket at the entrance and bring to the Security Desk for validation.
Garmin Connect IQ Developer Summit
When: April 18 – 20
Where: Garmin Corp Headquarters
Spaces for the inaugural Connect IQ™ Developer Summit are filling up fast. You won’t want to miss the new Connect IQ features being announced exposing more for developers to innovate and create. Register now so you don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn, network and see special guest speaker, founder of DC Rainmaker, Ray Maker.
In addition to attending breakout sessions and hands-on workshops, you’ll get to take home your choice of a select Connect IQ-compatible device, including the new fēnix® 5/5s.
Unlocking the Secrets of SBIR Searches to more Successful Applications
When: April 19, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Where: Kansas SBDC at JCCC
Going beyond the obvious solicitation and pulling together a team approach in order to open up more possibilities.
Learn how to identify government grants that need your capabilities but aren’t listing it in a way that jumps out at you. This virtual workshop will be conducted by William Carey of ARC Technology and Gary Stecklein of Inventors Association of South Central Kansas (IASCK). Mr. Carey has received a National Small Business Administration Tibbetts Award for the state of Kansas due to his work in the SBIR program. Mr. Steklein is president of the IASCK and has been awarded 30 patents during his career.
Attendees are encouraged to have their laptop/tablet/smartphone for searching while the presentation is live. We will be taking your specific questions and showing you how to find those hidden grants. Your takeaway: A better hands on approach to searches and greater understanding of not-so-obvious solicitations.
Online workshop/simulcast hosted by JCCC on April 19th, 2017 in RC 145 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. There is no charge to attend this event, but please RSVP Ellen Clickner at 913-469-3878 or eclickne@jccc.edu .
How2: Turn an idea into a product
When: April 19, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Where: UMKC SBTDC
Do you have a great new product idea, but don’t know How2 develop it? Gain an in-depth understanding of the process of product development, plus, learn How2 apply these proven principles in your business.
The How2 Turn an Idea into a Product workshop is based on leading-edge product development principles. The active participation format prepares participants to walk out with tools and a plan they can use immediately.
Kansas City Women in Technology April Tech Talk
When: April 19, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Where: Cerner Innovations Campus
Are you currently having to manage your projects with a difficult coworker? Is your team being held back by petty disputes? Join us for our April TechTalk for a corporate communication seminar in conflict resolution.
Explore communication techniques to use in your workplace in “Before It Comes to Blows” led by professional speaker, Lauren Schieffer. Learn skills to resolve conflict amongst your coworkers to build your professional team and get things done.
Come solo or invite your coworkers for this evening of networking and professional development.
The Sales Series: Demand Generation: Aligning Sales and Marketing Efforts with Dan O’Reilly, Veriship
When: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: Enterprise Center in Johnson County
The Sales Series teaches entrepreneurs the basics of building scalable sales systems, attracting and compensating top-performing sales staff and customer retention.
Velocity Event – Determine Your Ideal Business Structure & Networking
When: April 20, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Tingle Flooring
Join us for another Third Thursday celebrating startup and entrepreneurship in Lees Summit!
Featured speakers include:
– Chris Gordon with Carpani & Gordon, LLC
– Julia Hampton – Julia E. Hampton CPA, PC
This month we will also introduce our Featured Pitch portion of the evening. Every month we will offer the opportunity for a local entrepreneur to pitch their business. Let’s rally behind our local entrepreneurs! Sign up to present at an upcoming event!
Brew :30 – Meet Some of KC’s Newest Companies
When: April 20, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: Amigoni Urban Winery
KCs Entrepreneurial Happy Hour that takes you on a tour of the city’s breweries, distilleries and wineries. Drink local, network, snack and meet the Companies “On Tap”— some of KC’s up and coming companies.
Companies on Tap – April 20:
April and Joey Kramer // Apple Pie Painting
Jeff Petersen // Compost Hero
James and Emily Dresser // Liberty Candle Co.
Ryan White // The Sundry
Third Thursday KCedu and Lean Lab Happy Hour
When: April 20, 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: EduHub
Join #KCedu and the Lean Lab at EduHub, a co-working space for education and youth-related startups. Network with genius educators, business partners, and other interested folks as you eat and drink, learn and collide!
When you arrive, grab a snack and check out the whiteboard where participants create the schedule on the fly! Want to share something? Want to get feedback from others on a topic? In addition to the featured guests, as an attendee, you can throw your idea up in one of the squares for small group breakout conversations. For example:
Want to talk about technology in education, apps, gamificatoin or how to make it relevant to kids?
Want to talk family-community engagement in schools and in KC?
Want to plan a city-wide project to bring KC together, led by kids?
Looking for some interested parties to co-write a grant? EdHub has several offices for us to spread out and share/discuss.
After introductions of any featured guests at 6pm, we go into an Edcamp/Unconference format in two fast-paced, 20-minute breakout sessions. Stay in one group or sample more than one discussion. We come back together as a group at 7:00 for final announcements and then continue conversations at EduHub or at a nearby establishment.
This format is about active small group networking and relationship building, not passive listening. CHOICE and VOICE! You’ll be happy you plugged into KC’s vibrant educator network.
Innovation Exchange: Transportation in KC
When: April 25, 4:30 – 6:30
Where: Think Big
At the center of the nation, Kansas City has a long history as a logistics hub. And while we can look back more than a hundred years at our position as a leader, the future of transportation is also blossoming in Kansas City. From the prospect of a Hyperloop line arriving in the metro to the next phase of the streetcar line, Kansas City transportation is quickly changing.
In the April Innovation Exchange, we’ll dive into exciting developments within Kansas City transportation by talking with leaders in the streetcar expansion, those developing plans for Hyperloop Missouri and Smart City efforts to not only handle traffic but also make the city more accessible to all people.
This month, we’re hosting …
Bob Bennett, Chief Innovation Officer of KCMO
Matt Staub, KC Streetcar Authority Board member
Amana Graor, Air Quality Control program manager, Mid-America Regional Council
Hunter Johnston, Transportation & Mobility advisor, Think Big Partners
Tim Sylvester, founder of Integrated Roadways
**More guests to be announced**
Ongoing events
Don’t miss out on the events that happen every week at the same time, in the same place.
Code for KC Hack Night
Mondays from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Sprint Accelerator
Hammerspace Open House
Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Hammerspace
1 Million Cups
Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at Kauffman Foundation, Lawrence and KC Live Stream
Looking ahead
The Foundation Series: Attracting and Retaining Engaged Employees with Ashley Harper, Harper Strategy
When: April 26, 11:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Village Square Coworking Studio
The Foundation Series addresses legal and operational issues commonly faced by startup founders, from the process of finding and working with co-founders to strategies to protect your intellectual property. This ECJC workshop series is presented in partnership with Village Square, Located in the heart of the Kansas City Startup Village, Village Square is a coworking space that offers entrepreneurs and startups a place to call home.
Premiere Leadership Summit
When: April 27, all day
Where: The View at Briarcliff (inside the Courtyard Marriott)
During this one day event, three sessions have been designed precisely for the top issues that leaders face. The speakers will utilize case studies and role playing to emphasize 360 degree communication, problem solving skills, and employee coaching techniques. Plus, our luncheon speaker will offer comic relief with his storytelling prowess.
KC Roundtable Breakfast
When: April 27, 7:30 a.m.
Where: Eggtc.
KC Roundtable is in existence to provide 20 and 30-something Kansas City entrepreneurs with a group of peers to support and collaborate on each others’ businesses. Our mission is to: – Focus on relationship building; not lead generating – Facilitate collaboration, openness, transparency, learning and teaching – Establish an entrepreneurial network – Fill the void of not having the water cooler.
We meet for breakfast and various locations around the city. In addition to our morning meetings, KC Roundtable provides additional opportunities to network with young entrepreneurs such as events like small group Mastermind sessions & After Hour events.
Prospective members are self-motivated, curious, open to learning and currently starting a new business. Thanks for checking us out. We look forward to meeting you soon!
Intentional Collisions – Customer Experience
When: April 27, 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: Sprint Accelerator
It’s time for another session of Intentional Collisions at the Sprint Accelerator and this time we’ll be diving into Customer Experience, with our theme champion, Virgin Mobile!
Intentional Collisions is an ongoing program, where Sprint Accelerator organizes a themed and condensed coworking day; bringing together people interested in similar subjects and/or working to solve common challenges. When we share knowledge and collaborate, we can problem solve together more rapidly!
Customer Experience (CX) is the product of an interaction between an organization and a customer over the duration of their relationship. We, as humans, are constantly interacting with our environments; brands, products and services are surely part of that! Whether a startup or a large corporation, you’re likely curious how your brand is experienced among your customers.
Become exposed to different individuals who are focused on creating a defined experience around their brand. Hear the speakers’ passion for customer experience and be gifted with some real life examples of how to craft an experience. We’ll also do a hands-on activity so you can proactively explore your customers’ experience.
Join us for the conversation!
The event runs from 10:30 AM to 4 PM, with a guided talk led by our partner Virgin Mobile, relating to specific challenges around Customer Experience. We’ll then hear from three speakers whose brands embody great customer experience and do a group modeling activity.
Virgin Mobile US has generously offered to provide lunch for those in attendance, so be sure to thank them and be sure to RSVP so we have an accurate headcount!
Thursday, April 27th
AGENDA:
10:30 – 11:00 Attendees and speakers arrive, network and work within the space
11:00 – 11:30 Lunch, welcome to the space & Virgin Mobile Speaker
11:30 – 12:00 Specific Customer Experience Story (TBA)
12:00 – 12:30 Specific Customer Experience Story (TBA)
12:30 – 1:00 Specific Customer Experience Story (TBA)
1:00 – 1:15 Overall Q & A
1:15 – 3:00 Group Modeling Activity
3:00 – 3:30 Report Key Insights/Takeaways
3:30 – 4:00 Network & Wrap-Up
This event is for you if:
- You’re curious about Customer Experience and how your company might craft a specific desired experience
- You’re currently working within the Customer Experience realm
- You’d like to hear challenges of large corporations, startups and those in between face with Customer Experience
- You enjoy collaboration in an open and motivating work environment
- You’re energized by brainstorming with intelligent people
We look forward to seeing you there!
– Sprint Accelerator Team
The Sales Series: Why Have a Sales System? with Tom Mulligan, the Coffman Group
When: April 27, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Where: Enterprise Center in Johnson County
The Sales Series teaches entrepreneurs the basics of building scalable sales systems, attracting and compensating top-performing sales staff and customer retention.
