‘Unlimited expression’ on tap Thursday for annual Pipeline event

The recognition of Pipeline’s top innovator of 2011, the official unveiling of the program’s 2012 class of entrepreneurs, and an event organizers promise will be packed with pitches, entrepreneurs and expression is less than a week away. As we initially announced back in November, Pipeline, the Kansas-based entrepreneurial fellowship, will hold its marquee annual event,…

The recognition of Pipeline‘s top entrepreneur of 2011, the official unveiling of the program’s 2012 class of entrepreneurs, and an event organizers promise will be packed with innovators, ideas and artistic expression is less than a week away.

As we initially announced back in November, Pipeline, the Kansas-based entrepreneurial immersion program, will hold its marquee annual event, the Innovator of The Year (IOTY), on Thursday in Overland Park, Kan.

The schedule starts at 9 a.m. and runs through the evening’s IOTY ceremony, which begins at 7:30 p.m. The daytime portion features a pitch competition that will help determine Innovator of the Year, a gathering of Pipeline’s alumni and mentor community, opportunities for networking and more. The evening includes a networking reception and a multi-media dinner event showcasing the entire Pipeline network. The unveiling of Pipeline’s 2012 class and the recognition of its 2011 Innovator of the Year also will take place during the evening event. 

Tickets are still available, and registration can be completed on the IOTY’s Eventbrite page. Tickets for the evening event, which cost $175 for individuals and $1,750 for tables, ensure their holders access to the IOTY competition. People without tickets to the evening event may have the opportunity to attend the competition, but space will be limited. Regardless of whether they have tickets, people interested in attending the daytime event are encouraged to RSVP for the pitch session.

Regional expansion

As we reported last spring, Pipeline expanded its focus from Kansas to a larger region — it now includes Missouri and Nebraska — with the help of an $800,000 challenge grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the support of local partners in both Missouri and Nebraska. That class of innovators unveiled Thursday night will be the first of Pipeline’s six classes to include entrepreneurs based outside Kansas’ borders.  

“Unlimited expression”

Creativity and artistry are a big focus of this year’s IOTY event, for which the theme is “One Night. One Canvas. Unlimited Expression.” Pipeline will bring together some of the region’s top artists with Pipeline entrepreneurs to produce a creative and collaborative event.

The IOTY website and Facebook page are chock-full of previews of the sort of artistic expression that will be on display. But for a 30-second preview of what’s in store Thursday, check out the promotional video below.  

Image and video credits: Logo from Pipeline on Facebook. Video from PIPELINE on Vimeo.

Dislcosure: Silicon Prairie News is a media sponsor of Pipeline Innovator of the Year.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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