Codefi announces Ozarks Startup Weekend coming this summer

Cape Girardeau-based technology incubator Codefi Foundation on Rural Innovation announced March 27 that a tech startup weekend event is coming to Springfield this summer.

The organization said at STC Squared, the Springfield Tech Council’s annual technology conference, it is collaborating with regional and statewide partners specializing in tech-based economic development to create and host Ozarks Startup Weekend. The event, which is expected to draw participants from four states, is scheduled June 21-23, according to a news release.

The 54-hour event, which will be free to participants, involves designers, developers, marketers and startup supporters working together to develop a tech business idea and compete for a chance to win monetary investment and support to get their startup off the ground. Codefi officials say other events have been hosted in southern Missouri in the past, and a similar event is hosted annually in Columbia.

Participants will be invited from southern Missouri, northwest Arkansas, northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas, according to the release. Codefi co-founder James Stapleton said the organization will be funding $15,000 in cash prize money for the event. He declined to disclose its total investment or partners involved in the program.

“We are excited to leverage our expertise and resources to collaborate with partners in the region to deliver this and other events we will be announcing soon, that will help increase the pipeline of successful tech startups in our region,” Stapleton said in the release. “The more new companies there are to create high-quality new jobs, the more talent we can recruit, develop and support across the region. We also pride ourselves on being great collaborators and look forward to announcing more details soon with our partners.”

Codefi will present the startup weekend program with support from local sponsors, according to the release. Event participants also will be eligible to enter the pipeline of Codefi’s startup programs, including Bounce My Big Idea, a four-week online workshop.

Stapleton said details are still being worked out on Ozarks Startup Weekend’s location, noting additional announcements will be made in the coming weeks.