As the five-day Wichita Startup Week approaches, organizers have released a lineup of nearly 40 free sessions featuring 25 speakers local to Wichita and from across the country.
The inaugural five-day event, powered by Koch Industries, aims to support area entrepreneurs at their specific phase of the startup lifestyle. It runs Oct. 4-8 at Groover Labs in downtown Wichita.
“What started as a grassroots effort here in Wichita has grown to connect some of the biggest thought leaders, companies and community organizers to help advance our startup community,” said James Williams, co-founder and community affairs manager for Black Hills Energy. “There is undeniable momentum in our first year.”
The schedule, available online at wichitastartupweek.com, includes a hackathon, taking place the weekend before, in which the team that builds the best business plan from scratch will be awarded $5,000. A pitch competition sponsored by Cox Business will award $5,000 to a winning team.
Those in the growth tract looking to take their business to the next level will hear from Gene Camarena, CEO of La Raza Pizza, and Jason Illian with Koch Disruptive Technologies.
Kansas Lt. Governor David Toland will share how startups and entrepreneurs can help move the entire state forward.
Kubera Venture Capital founders Mark Janzen and Greg White will participate in a panel geared toward investors called "How to write your first investment check."
Other speakers throughout the week include Darcy Howe of KCRise, James Chung of Reach Advisors and StratoDem Analytics, Dan Kerr, a partner in Flyover Capital, and Madeline Shonka, CEO and co-founder of the Co-Immunity Foundation.
The sessions are free to attend, but registration is required online. The speaker series will also be offered in a hybrid format, and for all in-person events masks are required.
“Wichita Startup Week powered by Koch Industries will connect people with some of the best resources and experts in the industry to help Wichitans take the next step,” said Chris Callen, head of customer success for TraceAir Technologies, who will also present during Wichita Startup Week. “This will be an incredible opportunity for our community, our ecosystem and our local entrepreneurs.”
The event is a partnership with Techstars, a Colorado-based seed accelerator that has hosted more than 280 startup week programs in 140 cities worldwide.
