The Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference is an annual event in which participants will hear from successful entrepreneurs, network with like minded individuals, and participate in events for cash prizes.
Registration
Your registration includes breakfast and lunch, the opportunity to hear from world-renowned speakers, and the eligibility to compete in the Pitch Competition and Game Simulation to win cash prizes. (Scroll down for more information)
Dates and times: 4/14/23 (all day) and 4/15/23 (until noon)
Location: Millwork Commons
Address: 1229 Millwork Avenue Omaha, NE 68102
Prices range from $25.00 for UNO students to $75.00 for community members.
2023 Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference Speakers
The lineup of speakers include Jeff Hoffman, Jedidiah Weller, Van Deeb, and Zuly Matallana.
Jeff Hoffman is a successful entrepreneur, proven CEO, worldwide motivational speaker, published author, Hollywood film producer, and a producer of a Grammy winning jazz album.
Jeff has been the founder of multiple startups, he has been the CEO of both public and private companies, and he has served as a senior executive in many capacities. These include well-known companies, including Priceline.com. uBid.com, CTI, ColorJar, and more.
Jedidiah Weller is an accomplished entrepreneur who focuses on empowering the intersection between business and technology. He is currently the CEO at OpenForge, founder of Startup Wars, as well as the organizer of the Startup Junto meetup in Philadelphia.
He has been a speaker and mentor at Startup events across the world: Thailand Startup Summit, San Francisco’s Developer Week, Austin’s SXSW, The Web Summit, and more.
Van Deeb is the country’s foremost expert on selling and customer service and is dedicated to helping others become successful in business. He has inspired tens of thousands to succeed through his motivational and informative workshops, speaking events, newsletters, and books.
After winning more than 100 regional and national sales awards as a successful real estate agent in Dallas for 10 years, Van launched Deeb Realty in 1993 and worked as the sole agent from his home in Omaha, Nebraska. Within 15 years, the company grew to over 350 agents, making it one of the largest independent firms in the United States. Deeb Realty changed its name to Nebraska Realty in 2015 and now has over 1000 agents statewide.
Zuly Matallana is the CEO and Brand Founder of Tiara. She was nominated in 2020 for WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women and always draws on her passions to overcome obstacles and believes it’s that fire within her that makes all of her accomplishments possible. She is one of the 8% of women globally who holds a patent for her sustainable shower cap and is currently working to launch a revolutionary natural hair and deodorant line.
What are the Pitch Competition and Game Simulation Challenge?
In the Pitch Competition, contestants will be given 90 seconds to pitch their idea in front of well-known individuals from the Midwest. Following their pitch, each contestant will be given recommendations from a panel of judges. No notes or props are allowed for the pitch. There are two tracks this year, Pre-Revenue and Post-Revenue. If your business has earned more than $500 in sales you must register for the post-revenue tract.
The cash prizes are: First- $1,000, Second-$500, Third-$250
The Game Simulation Challenge is presented by Startup Wars. Startup Wars was born from the core values of entrepreneurship and accessibility. Our mission is to educate and empower future entrepreneurs to change the world, by giving them the experiences they need to run a successful company. We believe that the best way to learn entrepreneurship is to experience it; and that is what Startup Wars is all about.
Submit an application at this link.
The cash prizes are: First- $500, Second-$300, Third-$200
