It’s got a funny name, but a serious purpose.
Startup Voodoo, a one-day conference at Ballpark Village Thursday, is an attempt to help Midwestern entrepreneurs capture that indefinable something that’s helped so many startups become successful, said conference co-founder Aaron Perlut.
"We likened it to this voodoo that every one of these startups has, whether it’s incredibly hard work, a great idea, a smart team, great technology," he said. "There’s just that something that every startup that’s been successful has had."
The conference features several high-profile speakers from around the country. Perlut said he and co-founder Ed Domain of Techli want to give Midwestern startups a chance to learn and mix with leading entrepreneurs.
"We really hope the take-away is that people can learn from people who’ve been there in a broad variety of roles, whether they’re venture capitalists, whether they’ve helped write legislation helping startups, or whether they’ve started businesses themselves time and time again," he said.
The speakers include:
- Jim McKelvey: co-founder of Square and founder of LaunchCode.
- David Karandish: CEO of Answers Corp.
- Fang Cheng: CEO of Linc, a venture-backed startup based in Silicon Valley.
- Tim Rowe: founder and CEO of Cambridge Innovation Center.
- Delon Dotson: former director of software engineering for Netscape Communications.
- Sherwood Neiss: co-author of the “Crowdfunding Exemption Framework,” which became the basis of Title III of the Jobs Act.
The conference also includes a competition for “most promising” startup. Nearly 100 companies were whittled down to three finalists who will give two-minutes pitches to a three-member panel on Thursday.
They are:
- LearnCore: Based in Chicago, Learncore is an online communication and skill-building platform used by companies such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Sungard.
- Servabo: Based on the research park of the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, Servabo develops technology that discreetly connects customers with assistance needed in threatening or emergency situations.
- Champio: Based in St. Louis, Champio helps companies get a return on their investment in social media by generating and optimizing content that increases follower engagement.
The winner will receive a package of services and funding valued at $10,000.
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