Red Nova Labs’ Venture Friday event is one of nearly a dozen regular startup events in Kansas City.
A look at our calendar page three years ago would have shown about a half-dozen monthly startup events throughout the Silicon Prairie. There were Startup Drinks, Cornstalks and other meetups, but there were no 1 Million Cups, Ladies who Launch or Design+Tech events.
Thanks to organizations like Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, host of 1 Million Cups, entrepreneurs like Jill Thayer Liliedahl and Amber Pankonin, creators of Ladies who Launch, and startups like BitMethod, host of Design+Tech, events are now a constant in the region. And more are on the way.
With that trend in mind, today we’re rolling out our new way to share these events.
Find events on SPN
At the start of each month, we’ll publish a list of up to a dozen upcoming events, such as Teen Ideas Lab, Hack Night DSM and 1Week KC—all shared in this month’s edition. These events will also be listed on our community event calendar, which is limited to monthly, quarterly, annual or one-time events.
To highlight events that happen more frequently, we’ll regularly publish a roundup of those events. This post is the first in that series. Below you’ll find a list of weekly, monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly events. (Remember, no annual or one-time events are listed, but you can find those on our calendar page). User group events aren’t listed either, but check out Meetup’s directory—Kansas City has more than 30 user groups listed—or local sites like Tech Omaha.
Discover events elsewhere
For a more comprehensive event calendar that caters to both entrepreneurs behind small businesses and high growth companies, check out the KC SourceLink calendar, Startup Iowa calendar, Startup Lincoln calendar and Creative Corridor newsletter.
To get a weekly email of startup events, subscribe to Startup Digest Silicon Prairie. Kansas Citian Sam Bao does a great job curating events for that calendar.
Tell us about events
Did we miss an event? We’re sure we probably did. Please help us by completing our event submission form or send a tip to editor@siliconprairienews.com. Thoughts on this new format? Send those our way too. This change is an outcome of our reader survey and other newsroom updates that we think will help us better cover this region’s startup community.
Submit an event for consideration
Event series that focuses on hearing pitches from new startups and developing the talents of new innovators; organized by Sam Schill, Nathan Haila and Sean Barber
First Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m.
A networking meetup where people can talk shop over drinks; hosted by the Technology Association of Iowa
Fourth Thursday of the month, 5-7 p.m.
A place to pitch ideas to peers and mentors within the startup community
Wednesdays, 9-10 a.m.
Business Innovation Zone Luncheon Series
Luncheon series with entrepreneurial leaders from Central Iowa, connecting innovators with people and resources to create their own company; hosted by Business Innovation Zone
Third Wednesday of the month, 11:30 a.m.
Design Tech is about building a community of web-savvy designers and creative types in Des Moines; hosted by BitMethod
Once a month
A place for those in the startup community to share a drink and talk about what they’re up to; organized by Shawn Harrington, Kate Wagner, Caitlin Jones, Ian Zimmerman and Geoff Wood
Fourth Tuesday of the month, 5:30 p.m.
Plains Angels Investor Training
An ongoing series of training events for investors; hosted by Plains Angels
Fourth Thursday of the month
A networking meetup where people can talk shop over drinks; hosted by the Technology Association of Iowa
Second Thursday of the month, 5-7 p.m.
1 Million Cups Cedar Rapids/Iowa City
A place to pitch ideas to peers and mentors within the startup community; hosted by Vault Coworking Collaboration Space (Cedar Rapids) and CoLab (Iowa City)
Wednesdays, 9-10 a.m.
Geek out and hang with others in the Iowa City tech community; organized by Steven Mitchell, Breahna Galbreath, Bryan Beecher and Karl Becker
No set schedule; check for updates
Coffee with entrepreneurs and creatives in Iowa City; organized by Josh Cramer, Dan Smith, Jeff Nock, Nicholas Yanes and Troy Miller
Every other Wednesday at CoLab, 8-9 a.m.
An outlet for women in the tech industry or just interested in the tech industry to connect and develop new skills
Second Wednesday of the month, 6-8 p.m.
Casual meetup to discuss startups, technology, entrepreneurship and everything in between
Second and fourth Friday of the month, 8-9 a.m.
Casual meetup for the startup community to connect over drinks
First Thursday of the month
TechBrew Iowa City/Cedar Rapids
A networking meetup where people can talk shop over drinks; hosted by the Technology Association of Iowa
Third Thursday of the month, 5-7 p.m.
An informal gathering that brings entrepreneurs, business people and “big dreamers” together to talk over a beer.
Last Thursday of the month (except Nov.-Dec.), 6-8 p.m.
A networking meetup where people can talk shop over drinks; hosted by the Technology Association of Iowa
Second Tuesday of the month, 5-7 p.m.
A networking meetup where people can talk shop over drinks; hosted by the Technology Association of Iowa
First Thursday of the month, 5-7 p.m.
A place to pitch ideas to peers and mentors within the startup community; hosted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Wednesdays, 9-10 a.m.
Entrepreneur Corner during First Fridays
Come see what the companies from the Think Big Accelerator program have been up to and learn how you can support local Kansas City startups; hosted by Think Big Partners
First Friday of the month, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
A meetup for those who love all things geek; organized by Melanie Haas
Mondays, 6 p.m
Fireside chat event series that brings together two innovative thought leaders with completely different backgrounds to challenge one another’s thought processes and provide insight, inspiration and encouragement to local entrepreneurs and startups; hosted by Think Big Partners
Semi-regular; check for updates
Come meet other awesome developers and hackers and hear about cool things people have built; hosted by Kansas City IT Professional
Semi-regular; check for updates
Connect with technology industry professionals, exchange innovative ideas and establish beneficial relationships and strategic partnerships to grow your business; hosted by KCnext
Semi-regular; check for updates
A resource for collaboration and support for 20 and 30-something entrepreneurs; organized by Ryan Bennett and Nathan Kurtz
First and third Thursday of the month, 7:30 a.m.
Global event series that welcomes engaging speakers to inform, connect and inspire entrepreneurs in the Kansas City startup community; hosted by Cremalab
Semi-regular; check for updates
Technology Entrepreneur Speakers Program
A speaker series featuring leaders in the region’s tech industry to inspire and educate the next generation of innovators; presented by Polsinelli
Semi-regular; check for updates
Casual happy hour with an entreprenuerial speaker to connect and promote the startup community; organized by Eze Redwood, Cate Crandell and Chris Lakin
Every third Wedndesday of the month, 5:30 p.m.
A get-together for the Kansas City startup community to discuss projects and collaborate; hosted by Red Nova Labs
Second Friday of the month, 4-6 p.m.
Share coffee, stories, insights, questions and connections with fellow entrepreneurs, developers, designers, investors and folks interested in building a better startup community; hosted by The Big Plate
Thursday mornings, 8-9 a.m.
Discuss ideas and promote a community of female entrepreneurs; organized by Jill Thayer Liliedahl and Amber Pankonin
Every other Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. at Brewsky’s
Connecting artists and innovators to create and collaborate on new ideas and accelerate the Lincoln startup community; hosted by The Big Plate
Semi-regular; check for updates
Seminars addressing topics of concern to entreprenuers; hosted by NUtech Ventures
Semi-regular; check for updates
Welcome to the Jungle – Friday Afternoon Club for Startups
Share ideas, find out about the latest startup activities around town, meet co-founders and teammates; hosted by The Big Plate
Every other Friday afternoon, 4-6 p.m.
an exchange and share program between two startups; hosted by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce
Semi-regular; check for updates
Speakers explore typical issues faced by entrepreneurs; hosted by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce
Last Thursday of the month, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Discuss the application of Lean Startup Principles and the Customer Development process developed by Steve Blank and refined by Eric Ries; organized by Shane Reiser and Nick Bowden
Semi-regular; check for updates
Mastercraft Advisors Lunch and Learn
Seminars to give entrepreneurs the skills to develop and grow their startups; hosted by Mastercraft Advisors
Second Wednesday of every month, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Speaker series for Straight Shot startup accelerator companies (open to the public)
July-September; check for dates (footer of website)
Submit an event for consideration
Note: Frank Merchlewitz contributed to this article.
Credits: Photo from Venture Fridays on Meetup.