Startup Weekend is a global network of passionate leaders and entrepreneurs on a mission to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, teams and communities. Come share ideas, form teams, and launch startups.
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Jack has been a venture capitalist and fund administrator since 1979, first as President of United Capital Corporation of Illinois (an SBIC), and since 1983 as a General Partner of Pathfinder Venture Capital Funds I, II and III. Prior to that he had seven years of experience in bank trust investments and operations. He became a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) in 1982 and has advanced training at the American Institute of Banking, NASBIC Management Institute, and Stanford Advance Management College. In recent years at Pathfinder, in addition to traditional venture investment responsibilities Jack has been the administrator of the Partnerships, Pathfinder's in-house systems expert, and has managed the firm's exits from portfolio investments that were sold or distributed. He is a graduate of Indiana University.
Matthew was a founder of BlueGranite, helping start the company in 1996. Matthew is active in the technology and business community, serving as Chair of the Western Michigan University CIS Advisory Board, past President & Vice-President of the Michigan Chapter of the International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners, and an instructor with Junior Achievement. Matthew was selected as one of the Top 40 Business Leaders Under 40 for West Michigan, and was a Western Michigan University Alumni Spotlight recipient. He is a Computer Information Systems graduate of Western Michigan University and completed his MBA at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Kim is a natural connector. With a background in sales/marketing and business development, she joins the Start Garden team building business relationships, expanding the partner network and working with the startups. Kim has a heart for these startups and understands their challenges as she started and operated her own small business. Kim’s projects with the team include ArtPrize, 5×5 Night and TheCommon.org. Kim’s strongest asset is her natural ability to build and leverage relationships quickly. You can find Kim conversing over coffee at Madcap, grabbing dinner out with friends, golfing or hanging at the beach.
Gary tasted tech between the founding of Microsoft and Apple, and liked it. He dug into math and languages at Kalamazoo College and keyboard teaching and gigs carried him through graduate jazz studies. From the clubs, he transitioned (predictably) to Special Projects Cryptanalyst at NSA. His focus then turned to innovation in pharmaceutical validation, after which he founded and led (logically) a regional land conservancy.
Gary's 1996 startup -- a web change-monitoring service -- was acquired by a San Francisco firm in 2000. All his investors seemed ridiculously happy, briefly, he pretended to be "retired."
In 2001, Gary launched Nexcerpt news briefing service, on track to parse its 200 millionth article in 2012. (In 2002, he also created Googlewhack, although he had not intended to do so.) He is a recognized expert in land use regulation, environmental policy, and Eastern Box Turtles.
Matthew was a founder of BlueGranite, helping start the company in 1996. Matthew is active in the technology and business community, serving as Chair of the Western Michigan University CIS Advisory Board, past President & Vice-President of the Michigan Chapter of the International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners, and an instructor with Junior Achievement. Matthew was selected as one of the Top 40 Business Leaders Under 40 for West Michigan, and was a Western Michigan University Alumni Spotlight recipient. He is a Computer Information Systems graduate of Western Michigan University and completed his MBA at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Dan began Newmind Group as a small, regional IT company in 2003. Since then, they have opened offices in New York and Salt Lake City and have grown in scope and size to become a national provider of cloud computing solutions for businesses of all sizes. They specialize in moving legacy systems to more cost effective and reliable cloud based systems hosted by Google, Amazon and Rackspace.
Larry Baumgart is a business appraiser with 20 years of appraising experience. He is one of the founding members of Advanced Business Appraisers with clients throughout the state of Michigan. Larry’s clients have depended upon his appraisal analysis when selling their company, purchasing other companies, gifting stock, and in litigation situations. He also helps his clients better understand the risk factors that directly affect their company’s value. Larry has worked with companies from start up phases as well as multi-generational firms that are transitioning to their third or fourth generation.
Larry is also a business broker with Performance Business Advisors. He is actively engaged in selling various types of businesses in West Michigan.
Larry is a member of the Kalamazoo County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority and the Chairman of the Kalamazoo County Economic Development Corporation.
eCommerce advocate, auto industry addict, targeting practitioner, customer experience fanatic, business incubator veteran, disruptor, doer, VP of DealerKnows
We’re just 2.5 hours away from pitches and the room is getting tense! Over the last 54 hours teams have been working day and night building 8 different companies: Anesthesia Resource – A website that allows people in the anesthesia community to find focused answers to their anesthesia related questions. It will also have a [...]
Think you got the right skills for Startup Weekend Kalamazoo? Don’t have an extra $99 bucks lying around? Now you’ve got a shot. The Startup Zoo will be offering one seat to the entrepreneur who wins the Startup Weekend Kalamazoo Shootout. Submit a video that explains why you have the fastest brain in the West (or, [...]
After growing beyond the capacity of The Bureau, where we held our last Startup Weekend, we began searching out a space to hold this years event. If you live in Kalamazoo, you’ve almost certainly been to one of the great properties in The Entertainment District. Monaco Bay, Wild Bull, Loft 310, and the recently opened [...]
It’s been one year since our first ever Startup Weekend in Kalamazoo and we’re already coming up on our third! Past attendees, future attendees, entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, developers, designers, and everyone else, get ready for the greatest weekend of your life. We’ve seen some amazing companies start over these weekends, and absolutely unbelievable relationships form. [...]
Sunday Funday! With only 2.5 hours to go before we start getting the pitches ready, the stress in this room is almost palpable. A lot of people spent the night here at The Bureau, working and only taking a few quick naps wherever they could fit. The progress is unbelievable and we are so excited [...]
It has been 24 hours since we launched Startup Weekend Kalamazoo 2 and the progress is great. There is an incredible amount of talent gathered at The Bureau and the competition has started to get intense. The five teams have been working smoothly and the ideas keep running. Click on each video to watch a [...]
Our Judges Jim Durham – Jim is a highly experienced developer that has launched multiple software products and brought them to market. Pat Lennon – Pat Lennon is a local lawyer and Partner at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP. Chuck Perricone – Chuck is the former Speaker of the House for the Michigan House [...]
Hey all here’s the info for tomorrow: Location – The Bureau Co-working – 321 S. Kalamazoo Mall, 49007. It’s in the same building as the jewelry shop, so if you see that you’ve found the right spot! I’ll have posters posted outside as well. Starting tomorrow morning we’ll have this space 24/7 through Sunday, so [...]
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