Global Entrepreneurship Week Kansas City (GEWKC) kicks off Monday, offering more than 100 events that range from educational workshops to networking. All events are crowdsourced from local organizations and businesses.
Jenny Miller, the chief organizer of GEWKC, shares five things you need to know about the week:
A variety of event formats
Unlike previous years, there won’t be a centralized base camp for events. Instead, GEWKC is offering a mix of in-person, virtual and hybrid events throughout the Kansas City metro.
“Whatever people’s comfort level is, there is that platform or that type of event for them,” Miller told the Kansas City Business Journal. “We knew going into GEW that people and the entrepreneurship world were missing that human interaction — that face to face — and that’s something that GEW has been able to do and did really well for so long, so we wanted to offer that, but we wanted to make sure everybody was safe as well.”
Space is limited for certain in-person events, so Miller recommends registering for events online. The events calendar also will be updated throughout the day in case new events are added/canceled or switch from in-person to virtual or vice versa.
More days to participate
GEWKC traditionally has spanned five days, but this year’s event has been extended to seven to allow more people to participate. Some of the weekend events cover topics such as building a business for purpose, surviving as a creative, the heart of the pitch and boosting your revenue with federal government contracts 10x.
Choose from five educational tracks
Attendees can search for events by track category, allowing them to find the ones that best fit their needs. The five educational tracks are: startups, scalers, social ventures, entrepreneurship and inclusion, and youth entrepreneurship. Attendees also can register online for events to create a personalized agenda.
Coffee kickoffs and demo days
On Monday, GEWKC committee members will be stationed at four local, independent coffee shops throughout the metro to network and help attendees navigate the week. All are encouraged to attend the “coffee kickoff” networking events at Kinship Café, Anchor Island, Café Corazón and Headrush.
Comeback KC Ventures, an 18-month program to source new solutions in response to Covid-19, will host its virtual demo day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday. The program aims to make the innovative solutions a permanent part of our economic recovery.
Attendees also can get inspired by the 10 entrepreneurs in the AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Medallion Theater at Plexpod Westport Commons, 300 E. 39th St. in Kansas City. Finalists will get five minutes to pitch their business to a panel of judges for a chance to win $20,000 for first place, $10,000 for second and $5,000 for third. A fan favorite, chosen on social media, will receive $2,500. All the winners will receive access to business advisory services.
Why you should participate
"All the free education is one of the big values,” Miller said. “Also, the majority of these events are taught by entrepreneurs themselves, so it is learning from those that have been there and done that. You also have the connections. I think that’s something we’ve all been missing.”
