Kansas City is showing its support for Global Entrepreneurship Week and local entrepreneurs. The Week, November 12-18, 2012 offers a worldwide series of events in more than 129 countries to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship and encourage young people to become more innovative and entrepreneurial. In Kansas City, the Week includes more than 40 events for entrepreneurs at every age and stage of business.
Kansas City's calendar of events includes many opportunities for aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs to share their business ideas and needs with one another and with a community of individuals and organizations committed to helping them succeed. From pitches and demos by area startups, to job fairs, guest speakers and even an attempt to break the world record for speed networking, Global Entrepreneurship Week in Kansas City offers something for everyone!
GEW Kansas City Live Streams
Following is a schedule of events that will be webcast live from the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2012:
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9
A Celebration of Global Entrepreneurship at KU
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Central
Watch an informational chat between U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and KU Business School Dean Neeli Bendapudi as they share their entrepreneurial insights and opinions with business, engineering, and journalism students.
View the webcast 
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12
Startup@Kauffman Demo Day
7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Central
It's back—and it's bigger and better! The popular kickoff event from last summer's One Week KC returns for GEW–KC. Join us to hear presentations and see demonstrations from many of the most promising startups from Kansas City and throughout the Midwest. Entrepreneurs will connect with mentors, partners, and peers in the spirit of building America's most entrepreneurial city!
Startup@Kauffman Keynote Luncheon featuring Christopher Schroeder
noon - 1 p.m. Central
Washington, D.C. and New York-based Internet serial entrepreneur and early stage investor Christopher Schroeder will share his insights on startup activity in the United States and emerging growth markets, particularly the Middle East. Schroeder sold his most recent entrepreneurial venture, HealthCentral, in January. HealthCentral is one of the largest U.S. social and content platforms in health and wellness.
View the webcast
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14
1 Million Cups
9 – 10 a.m. Central
Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation created 1 Million Cups as a simple way to engage entrepreneurs in the Kansas City community. Each week, the 1MC program offers two local upstarts an opportunity to present their companies to a diverse audience of mentors, advisors, and entrepreneurs. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and join us!
View the webcast
"The Entrepreneurial Community in Kansas City: From Fragmented to Collaborative?"
Luncheon featuring Heike Mayer
Noon – 1:30 p.m. Central
Join Heike Mayer, professor of economic geography at the University of Bern, Switzerland, as she shares the findings of her recent research to assess the entrepreneurial community surrounding the technology and life sciences sectors in metropolitan Kansas City. Based on interviews she conducted with regional experts, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs in summer 2012, Mayer concludes that Kansas City's entrepreneurial community is fragmented, and the role of large firms as incubators has diminished during the past six years. At the same time, however, she finds collective efforts to improve the local entrepreneurial community have improved, and several effective mentoring and networking groups have emerged.
View the webcast
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16
"Exit Interviews: Lessons Learned from Successful Entrepreneurs" Luncheon Panel
Noon – 1:30 p.m. Central
As GEW-KC 2012 winds down, it's time to celebrate the successes of seasoned Kansas City entrepreneurs. Join us to hear from those who have "been there, done that" about how they successfully—and profitably—exited their startups. They will share advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as a few war stories from their personal journeys. This lively panel discussion will feature Thad Langford, former president and CEO of Zave Networks which was acquired by Google in 2011; Matt Watson of Stackify, who sold VIN Solutions to AutoTrader in 2011; Tom DeBacco of iModules, who has been working on tech startups since the early 1980s; and Augie Grasis, founder of Handmark. Lunch is provided.
View the webcast
About Global Entrepreneurship Week:
Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest celebration of the innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare. During one week each November, thousands of events and competitions around the world inspire millions to engage in entrepreneurial activity while connecting them to potential collaborators, mentors and even investors. Now in its fifth year, Global Entrepreneurship Week has expanded to 129 countries—empowering nearly 20 million people through 125,000 activities over that time. Powered by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the initiative is supported by dozens of world leaders and a growing network of 24,000 partner organizations. For more information, visit www.unleashingideas.org and follow @unleashingideas on Twitter.
