by Kelly Rogge
Registration is being accepted for the Kansas City Kansas Community College Innovation Summit.
The summit is Oct. 2, and the ticket cost, which includes lunch, is $10 until Sept. 17, and after that, $15. The deadline for submissions for the pitch contest is Sept. 12.
Registration to pitch your idea, product or business in the Pitch Competition is free. Last year, $10,000 was given away. To register for the 2015 Innovation Summit, purchase tickets, or for more information, visit the Innovation Summit’s website at www.innovationsummitkc.com.
The 4th annual Innovation Summit is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 2 at KCKCC’s Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave. Tickets are $10 until Sept. 17. After Sept. 17, tickets are $15. Lunch is provided.
This year, the competition will have a national platform to showcase the business or product ideas of those who register. Friends, family and investors from throughout the United States can view a video of the pitch and cast their votes online. This provides a wider viewing audience for the product or service participants are presenting at the competition.
“Stephen Key, an award-winning inventor, will be one of our expert judges,” said Alicia Hooks, director of entrepreneurship at KCKCC. “People should attend the Innovation Summit for the learning, the ability to see new innovations and to simply go for the experience.”
Submissions for entry into the Pitch Competition must be received by Sept. 12. Online voting is Sept. 13-20. Information is also available by contacting Alicia Hooks at 913-288-7388 or by email at [email protected].
“Your business or business idea will receive national recognition,” Hooks said of registering for the Pitch Competition. “It is no cost to register, and you will be able to get input from others, get noticed and possibly win cash.”
Another addition to the Innovation Summit is the MECA Summit Challenge (Most Entrepreneurial City in America). The MECA Challenge is for high school and college age participants who compete in small groups to create the best solutions for real problems small businesses experience. Judges will evaluate the solutions and give awards based on creativity, feasibility and more.
The 2015 Innovation Summit could not occur without the event’s sponsors who are all supporters of entrepreneurs – State Street, Mid-America Manufacturing and Technology Center and the Bank of Blue Valley.
Coordinating partners include the National Native American Chamber, Leavenworth Community Development Corporation, Heartland Black Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Chamber of Commerce, KCSourcelink, Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools, CEED and the SBDC.
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor for Kansas City Kansas Community College.