Last edited 2:08 p.m., Jan. 5, 2015Local entrepreneurs are partnering with UP Global to bring international startup events to the Queen City.
The organization created the Startup Weekend and Startup Next programs, as well as the Startup Digest newsletter, all of which will make their way to Springfield, said Chad Carleton, a local entrepreneur working with Sherry Coker of the Center for Workforce Development at Ozarks Technical Community College and others to build the Startup programs locally.
They’ll begin with Startup Weekend Springfield, slated Jan. 23-25, with help from other organizers Cody Stringer, Chris Allen and Jeremy Adams. The sponsor-funded event includes a shark tank-style pitch, giving teams the chance to win prizes valued at over $1,000. The awards include co-working space at The eFactory and professional services to help teams build their startups. The Friday night pitch event gives teams 60 seconds or less to present their ideas. The rest of the weekend would be spent cultivating the best ideas with the help of mentors and experienced entrepreneurs. Teams will then present their ideas before a panel of judges to pick the winners. Startup Weekend has backing by Google for Entrepreneurs.
Carleton was inspired to bring the Startup programs to Springfield after participating in Startup Weekend events in Aspen and Denver, Colo.
“I really like these kinds of things, and I was just completely taken aback by the time that I had and everything that I learned about startup culture, so I wanted to do one here,” said Carleton, who also is a co-organizer of 1 Million Cups Springfield.
He pointed to
Startup Weekend success stories such as Foodspotting, Zapier and Zaarly.
The majority of Startup Weekend Springfield will take place at Missouri State University’s downtown eFactory, with the final presentations Sunday night at the Fox Theatre. Interested entrepreneurs may sign up at
StartupSGF.com.[[In-content Ad]]
