GoogleConnects KC

Global Entrepreneurship Week is just over a week away, Nov. 12-16, and we’re just a little excited about it. (Cue understatement.)

With more than 40 events, Kansas City not just putting out the welcome mat, we’re opening wide the doors for entrepreneurs, wannapreneurs and small business owners to learn more about entrepreneurship, grow their businesses and experience the startup community firsthand.

So what’s in it for you? Just check out some of the opportunities below.

Meet 400+ potential clients. At once.

Register to be counted among the 400+ folks who will converge on the Sheraton Crown Center on Nov. 12 to build connections, build their businesses, and break the world record for speed networking. With so many people (and opportunities) in one room, it’s a networking extravaganza you really don’t want to miss. (And you’ll be bringing home some pride for the home team, too. The world record is currently held by Canadians. That can’t abide.)

Power up your network.

Networking make you nervous? Need to put a little polish on your meet-and-greet skills? Then sign up for Kauffman’s FastTrac Networking Workshop. It’s the same day—Nov. 12 at 3 p.m.—so you can fortify your skills and apply them almost immediately.

And then test those skills yet again at Connect @ Coffee Girls, a cash-mob style meet up to network with peers and support a local small business. Or hop over to Under30CEO Network & Learn to hear from the likes of Adam Crame of the Raiser Group, Chris Olsen of FINDitKC and Jill Meyer from UMKC. And be sure to save some energy for KCNext’s Fall IT Networking Event at the College Basketball Experience, always a slam dunk event.

Unleash ideas.

See the future of KC tech during GEW. Compute Midwest, on Nov. 9 (we like to get GEW started early ‘round here), is a conference + hackathon that will delve into new ideas, emerging technologies and future integration in the Midwest. At Sprint Reverse Pitch Day, on Nov. 14, several Kansas City corporate leaders who will share what they are doing in support of Kansas City's entrepreneurial community.

Find a job.

Want to network with the newest and most exciting companies in the Kansas City region?  Sign up to attend Kansas City's first Startup Job Fair. On Nov. 15, students and recent graduates will have the opportunity to meet the people behind local startups, see their products in action and learn about the culture of working in this innovative community.

Experience the startup community.

Get a glimpse of the folks who are launching KC’s startups during Startup@Kauffman Demo Day and 1 Million Cups. Hear presentations and see demos from many of our city’s most promising and shiny startups. Entrepreneurs will connect with mentors, partners and peers in the spirit of building America’s most entrepreneurial city.

Jump in the fray!

What’s the perfect way to cap GEW-KC. How about with your very own startup? The last weekend of GEW wraps up a week of entrepreneurial exploration another edition of Startup Weekend, a full-out test of startup merit and muscle.

Anyone is welcome to pitch their startup idea and receive feedback from their peers. Teams organically form around the top ideas (as determined by popular vote) and then it’s a 54 hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation. The weekend culminates with presentations in front of local entrepreneurial leaders with another opportunity for critical feedback.

The winning team will go on to test their mettle on the world stage in the epic Global Startup Battle.

Not enough entrepreneurship for you?

Don’t worry. There’s lots more. Check out the full calendar of GEW-KC events and subscribe to our blog for more GEW-KC news and events.

So what tickles your entrepreneurial fancy?