Square Co-founder Jim McKelvey to Speak at Techweek KC
Kansas City, Mo. (PRWEB) August 27, 2015 -- Techweek KC’s 2015 lineup of speakers got even stronger this week, as the tech festival added Jim McKelvey, co-founder of the Square mobile payment app, to an already star-studded lineup of speakers.
McKelvey is scheduled to speak on Thursday, Sept. 17 at Union Station. The weeklong national festival, which makes its first visit to Kansas City this year, will take place from Sept. 14-20.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Jim will be joining us at Techweek KC,” said Techweek CEO Katy Lynch. “He’s second to none as a tech entrepreneur, and this is an incredible opportunity for all of us to learn from his wisdom and experiences.”
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation – a Kansas City-based non-profit focused on entrepreneurship and education – is bringing McKelvey to the festival. The Kauffman Foundation is a title sponsor of Techweek KC.
A St. Louis native, McKelvey graduated from Washington University with degrees in Economics and Computer Science before going on to develop “Look,” one of the first PC document imaging systems, for Mira Digital Publishing in 1991. He also co-founded a glassblowing company – Third Degree Glass Factory – prior to launching Square in 2009.
As Square’s popularity grew, McKelvey helped start Cultivation Capital, a St. Louis-based venture capital firm, in 2012. He later partnered to begin a non-profit organization called LaunchCode, which creates pathways to economic opportunity through apprenticeships and job placements in technology.
The Techweek festival features a wide range of events throughout the week, including the $500,000 Launch KC grants competition, a big data summit, an expo, private film screenings and more. The festival is also hosting a tailgate hiring fair, a hackathon and a series of sponsored parties, beginning with the Official Kickoff Party Sept. 14 at the Boulevard Brewery. For more information on Techweek KC, visit http://www.techweek.com/kansascity.
Peggy Landon, Kauffman Foundation, +1 (816) 932-1256, [email protected]
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