It was another thrilling Wichita Startup Week! We were proud to serve as a primary venue for WSW for the fourth year.
Monday
The week started with Youth Day in our event venue, where we packed more than 250 high school students into the space for a full day of entrepreneurial activities. Based on the roars of laughter coming out of the room, we’re all but certain they had a wonderful time.
Several of our members participated in NXTUS’ NXSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Summit. We dropped by Cargill’s beautiful Old Town campus to watch them give 30-second elevator pitches in front of a few hundred of Wichita’s local startup ecosystem supporters.
Tuesday
Tuesday kicked off with Groover Labs alum Robert Feeney leading a remarkable discussion on the lower level of the Ruffin Building. Feeney’s talk explored how to share authentically at networking events. Central to his premise was the idea that when you share authentic stories, you honor the listener with a gesture of respect. The participants were so caught up with Feeney’s approach—he had them practice their networking skills with each other—that he had a difficult time pulling back their attention to continue the discussion. After Feeney, Groover Labs member Ted Kriwiel presented how non-profits should clearly define their problems so they can uncover useful and meaningful software solutions.
Wednesday
The entire Groover Labs team was humbled on Wednesday morning when FlaghshipKansas.Tech’s acting executive director Luis Rodriguez announced Curt Gridley and Tracy Hoover as the 2024 recipients of the “Kansas Tech Visionary of the Year” award. Several team members were on hand as Tracy gave brief remarks, thanking FlasghshipKansas.Tech and the local technology community for their support.
Thursday
Wichita Startup Week returned to our event venue on Thursday. Kate Power’s and Melanie Rising’s morning topic discussed how to develop strategies to manage stress, maintain motivation, and build supportive company cultures. Attendees explored stress-relieving techniques, including a calming morning meditation.
Groover Labs member Theresa Curtis followed, presenting how to set up and manage accounting systems for founders and entrepreneurs in the early stages of establishing their startups or ventures. Curtis provided simple ways to break down balance sheets and income statements. Even better, she brought donuts for everybody! What followed was a successful question-and-answer session, with requests to continue the discussion outside WSW at a later date.
Friday
Friday opened with keynote speaker Kevin Turpin, who shared his story from starting in the powerwashing business to building Weavix into a thriving technology and worker communications system, receiving $10 million in funding from Koch Disruptive Technologies. Resilience and persistence drive Turpin to bring the good out of his team. He dove deeply into life as a founder in Wichita, the challenges a young startup faces, and where Weavix plans to go next.
From there, WSW moved to our rearranged hotseat area, where 20 startups and companies were set up for the #WichitaWins Trade Show. Attendees were asked to scan a QR code where they could vote for their three favorite trade show booths. The winners were then given the opportunity to pitch their product in a pitch competition after the trade show.
We are excited that Groover Labs member Dr. Matt Leming was among the top three finalists. Dr. Leming took to the stage to talk about his new startup, Winnow Bioscience, and the surgical implant device they’re prototyping. Another Groover Labs member, Molly Breitenbach, won the $2,500 prize after pitching her healthcare startup Candid Health Advisors. Read our profile of Molly here.
And, finally, we’re grateful for our friends at the Great Plains Mission Accelerator Center, who graciously sponsored a post-Startup Week lunch from Meddy’s. More than 100 people were on hand in our lobby, hotseat area, coffee bar, and courtyard, where they reminisced about WSW, shared stories, and built connections.
We loved hosting Wichita Startup Week this year and look forward to their return next year!