November 8
A week of events relating to innovation and entrepreneurship will take place in Sioux City as part of the 4th annual Launch Week, November 3rd – 10th. With speakers, startup presentations and plenty of networking, Launch Week aims to inspire, motivate, and promote collaboration among professionals.
The week of creativity begins with Business for Breakfast on November 3rd at the Sioux City Convention Center. Join Nick Taranto, co-founder of Plated.com, as he presents “The 5 P’s of Building a Culture of Innovation & Disruption”. Nick will walk you through his framework for building an innovative and disruptive operating model, and how you can apply it to your own organization. The free event begins at 7:30am and RSVP’s are requested by calling 224-5500 or online at www.locatesiouxcity.com/business-breakfast.
On Friday, November 4th join other community members at 9:00am at Springboard Coworking for First Friday Coffee. Listen as local entrepreneur, Stacy Orndorff of Heartland Coffee Co., shares her story of starting a coffee company that donates a percentage of sales to provide help to entrepreneurs in disadvantaged countries.
Friday evening area college students will gather at ISU Design West in Sioux City to participate in Iowa Startup Games. This weekend long event brings college students together on Friday night to pitch their business idea and form teams around the top ideas. On Saturday, teams research and discover information that pertains to their business, conduct customer discovery, and refine their ideas to create a minimal viable product. On Sunday, teams tailor their final pitches, present to a panel of judges, and have a chance to win money. Local business owners and community members will act as mentors and coaches for the weekend. Students will learn problem solving skills, have the opportunity to network with community members, and will begin to think like an entrepreneur. The University of Iowa, Western Iowa Tech Community College and Iowa’s West Coast Initiative are partnering to bring the event to Sioux City for the first time. Students can sign up by visiting www.iowajpec.org/iowastartupgamessiouxcity/.
On Monday, November 7th the Small Business Development Center will host a Business Succession Planning workshop at 8:00am at ISU Design West in downtown Sioux City. This course is valuable to anyone looking to buy or sell a business, as the discussion will focus on what every business buyer and seller needs to know for efficient and effective negotiation and planning. The workshop is free and a light breakfast will be provided. Attendees may register by emailing Renae Billings at rbillings@sioux-city.org.
A Financing Forum will be held on Tuesday, November 8th, at ISU Design West from 1:00-4:00pm. The session is hosted by the Iowa Small Business Administration (SBA) and will provide an opportunity for startups and small businesses to learn about a variety of financing options from local lenders and government agencies. The Financing Forum is free but registration is requested by emailing Terry Case at terry.case@sba.gov.
On Wednesday, November 9th, a Google Workshop held at ISU Design West from Noon-1:30pm will help small businesses and startups improve their information where customers search for them the most: Google. The workshop will show businesses how to put more information about their business into Google; how to get their companies verified for Google searches; how to add information such as location and hours of operation; and how to add photos to enhance the listing. The Google Workshop is free and lunch will be provided, so attendees are asked to register by emailing Renae Billings at rbillings@sioux-city.org.
To conclude the week, Biz Brew and Base 3 are joining forces on Thursday, November 10th to bring you a night of fun and inspiration. The popular networking event, Biz Brew, will kick off the evening at 5:00pm followed by Base 3 at 6:00pm. Base 3 is a one night event consisting of 3 speakers used to cultivate a passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, and community building. To get free tickets and learn more about the speakers, visit flyovertechnology.com/base3/.
A special thank you to our featured sponsor, Iowa’s West Coast Initiative, for underwriting the cost of many of these events.
Find out more at www.siouxcitylaunchweek.com
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