The 2015 Global Entrepreneurial Congress brings together entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, thought-leaders, and many other influential people from around the world to work on issues surrounding international economic growth and human welfare. This year, the Global Entrepreneurial Congress was held in Milan from March 16-19th and Kansas City was the only U.S. city invited to present, teach and learn, as part of a group consisting of teams and cities hailing from over 150 countries.
Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Circo represented Kansas City in Milan as our entrepreneurial representative. Below is our Q&A with Circo on the importance of having Kansas City recognized as a key player and influential force in the international entrepreneur scene:
Why did Kansas City attend?
“This was a business mission for us as a city. We had the opportunity to show the world our great city and the economic growth we have experienced because of our talented entrepreneurs. We need to figure out more ways to reach those types of companies and help them grow right here in our own backyard.”
What’s the significance of Kansas City being asked to present at the Global Entrepreneurial Congress?
“It’s always exciting to win an award and be recognized!” says Circo. “We were the only US city presenting at the Congress, and that in of itself was a huge honor. As soon as we walked through the door, everyone said, “it’s Kansas City!” They already knew who we were and where we were from…we didn’t have to explain it or point it out on a map. There’s definitely a buzz about us internationally, and it was very cool to witness firsthand.”
What specifically was in your presentation?
“The topic was ‘What is Your Ecosystem?’ so we discussed why we believe our Kansas City entrepreneurial scene is growing so quickly. In a way, we simply told the Kansas City startup story: what our ecosystem was like prior to Google Fiber, and how it started to explode and burst after Google chose our city to bring to life their first Fiberhood.
We talked about all the entrepreneur-led things Kansas City has going for it right now: 1Million Cups, The Sprint Accelerator, the Kansas City Startup Village, Think Big Coworking, The Kauffman Foundation, as well as every organization that has been part of Kansas City’s startup scene, was mentioned.”
What was your favorite highlight from the event?
“The most helpful portion of the event was the Q&A part because it allowed me to hear firsthand the struggles that other startup cities are facing. Everyone has been affected by the recession and many startups and small businesses are still recovering from it. There was a big focus on issues facing women owned businesses and what we can do to attract more females into the startup ecosystem. As always, access to capital was also a popular topic.”
What was your main takeaway from the Congress?
“We need to stop thinking that we are all competitors and start building our ecosystems around our individual city’s strengths. Kansas City’s playing field compared to other major tech startup cities like the Silicon Valley is more level than most people realize. We are conveniently located right in the center of the country and we have an amazingly talented workforce. It’s most certainly less expensive to get a company off the ground here compared to most cities and we have an abundance of resources dedicated to entrepreneur efforts. We have a unique identity like no other city and that uniqueness is what’s driving the creative innovators our way.”
A big Thank you goes out to Cindy Circo for going all the way to Italy to represent Kansas City, and for showing the world what can happen when cities, startups, corporate sponsors and community supporters work together to build the next generation of leaders.
View Circo’s presentation below: