COLUMBIA, Mo. — A flagship event for the state’s startup ecosystem is returning April 17-19 in a bid to help build Missouri’s next billion-dollar company, said Willy Schlacks, noting it’s a proven launch pad for future unicorns.
Ian Foster, SiteScan, pitches his startup idea during the 2025 Missouri Startup Weekend; photo by Ryann Schenewerk, EquipmentShare
“We still talk about that original Startup Weekend all the time,” said Schlacks, president and co‑founder of EquipmentShare — an early Startup Weekend idea that developed into a massive Show-Me State success story, recently posting its initial public offering and valuing the company at more than $7 billion.
“To go from pitching in Columbia to ringing the opening bell is surreal. It shows founders what’s possible here in Missouri,” he continued. “You don’t have to leave the state to build something massive.”
Alongside EquipmentShare, other notable Missouri Startup Weekend alumni include Zapier, Noonlight, Focus, and OpsCompainon.
Organizers hope to ignite similar sparks in April when the three-day event, hosted by Redbud VC, gathers more than 150 entrepreneurs, innovators, and investors — from across Missouri and the broader region, including Kansas City, St. Louis, and communities throughout the Midwest — at EquipmentShare’s Headquarters in Columbia.
Click here for tickets to Missouri Startup Weekend.
Participants of the 2025 Missouri Startup Weekend pack EquipmentShare headquarters in Columbia; photo by Ryann Schenewerk, EquipmentShare
Missouri Startup Weekend offers the opportunity for teams and individuals to step into the role of founder with the talent, mentorship, and resources needed to launch a generational company. Participants pitch ideas on Friday night, form teams around the top concepts, and spend the weekend talking to customers, building MVPs, validating their ideas, and preparing for a final pitch on Sunday to successful entrepreneurs, operators, and investors.
The winner is set to receive a $45,000 prize pack that includes a $10,000 cash prize (non‑dilutive), $15,000 in MVP development services sponsored by Aviron Software, $15,000 Branding and Design Package sponsored by Digital Bullpen.
Additional prizes include a complete legal entity formation sponsored by Transitions Law Group, $100,000 from investor judges, and the potential for up to $500,000 in investment from Redbud VC, along with six months of post‑launch support.
The 2025 competition’s first-place winner, Focus — helmed by Jill Harper, Ron Netemeyer, and Ben Zalasky — is now a Redbud VC portfolio company.
“Aspiring founders can find people who can help them build out their ideas over the weekend, with the goal of actually launching a company,” said Brett Calhoun, general partner at Redbud VC. “There’s no other event in Missouri that has that effect on entrepreneurship right now.”
Judges listen to a startup pitch during the 2025 Missouri Startup Weekend; photo by Ryann Schenewerk, EquipmentShare
New this year: The winner will be chosen by investor judges on Sunday, rather than through a traditional judging format.
A group of community members who are accredited investors is coming together to create a shared investment pool using their personal capital to back Startup Weekend teams. After the final pitches, each investor will allocate their portion of the pool to the startup they believe in most. The team that receives the largest total allocation from the investor pool, now over $100,000 and growing, will be named the winner.
“For years, community members and longtime supporters of Startup Weekend have asked how they can actually invest in the teams building companies over the weekend,” said Calhoun. “Until now, there hasn’t been an easy way for them to do that. This year, we’re changing that by giving people a way to put real capital on the line and provide even greater resources to founders who are ready to build.”
Brett Calhoun, Redbud VC; Wade Foster, Zapier; Thomas Richards, University of Missouri; and Brent Beshore, Permanent Equity; at the 2025 Missouri Startup Weekend; photo by Ryann Schenewerk, EquipmentShare
Also new for 2026, Missouri Startup Weekend is introducing a curated Expert Network that provides founders with flexible, on‑demand access to seasoned founders, operators, investors, engineers, attorneys, designers, and other specialists throughout the weekend. The Expert Network is designed to help teams move past technical or strategic roadblocks in real time, ensuring that even late‑night build sessions are supported by people who have been through the zero‑to‑one journey.
The weekend is supported by such sponsors as Lovable, Codefi, Veterans United Home Loans, Missouri Technology Corporation, and other ecosystem partners committed to backing early-stage founders.
