KEY TAKEAWAYS

Kaneko

www.SiliconPrairieNews.com

What you should know:

- Brings in Tech Entrepreneurs who are thought leaders in their space- Provides an excellent environment for networking- Introduces you to what’s coming in terms of the “next big thing”

Facts- Over 500 Attendees- 14 Speakers- 2.5 Days of Events- 3 Parties

The SpeakersA Highlight of the Best

David Hauser

MC’d the event this year

David Hauser oversees the strategic direction and operations of Grasshopper Group and serves as the company’s technology visionary. Grasshopper makes two products for entrepreneurs -

Grasshopper: A virtual phone system & Chargify: A simple billing system

Leila JanahLeila Janah is the founder and CEO of Samasource, an award-winning social business that connects people living in poverty to microwork - small, computer-based tasks that build skills and generate life-changing income. Janah is a frequent speaker on social entrepreneurship and technology, and her work has been profiled by CBS, CNN, NPR, the BBC The New York Times and The New Scientist. She serves on the board of TechSoup Global.

Main Takeaways:Leila is searching for solutions to end poverty. Since 4 billion people live on less $3 a day, her foundation, Samasource, is transitioning work from the factories to employ the poor. They’re setting up computer centers way out in rural environments to bring the jobs there, rather than requiring these people to migrate to urban centers.

Shervin PishevarShervin Pishevar is the former chairman of Social Gaming Network, a leading publisher and developer of social and mobile games. Named "Bill Gates' Worst Nightmare" by the Financial Times, he is a visionary technology entrepreneur, published researcher, startup advisor, incubation expert and startup visa activist. In his career, he's raised nearly $50 million in venture funding for his startups.

Main Takeaways:Shervin talked a lot about the power of mentorship and how that’s important, not only in terms of entrepreneurship, but also in personal development. He says to surround yourself with value creators.

He also talked a lot about how life should be about a collection of experiences, not materials.

Memorable Quote:“If you never ask, the answer is always no.”

Ben HuhBen Huh is the founder and CEO of Cheezburger Network, a conglomerate of related sister sites that has been credited with bringing internet memes to the mainstream and popularizing internet culture. Huh attributes the success of his company to the users and fans who create the content and those who started the sites he acquired, such as icanhascheezburger.com and failblog.org. His goal is to make the world happy for five minutes a day.

Main Takeaways:Ben says internet culture will produce rockstars of tomorrow. Being weird doesn't mean you're alone. There is an audience for what you have to say. People want to see bacon taped to a cat.

Things to remember:

- We are more likely to advertise a product or service for free than ever before. - Embracing your community is embracing your marketing. - Google, Facebook and Twitter don't produce their own content, yet they are the 3 most influential media companies.

Aneesh ChopraAneesh Chopra is the United States Chief Technology Officer and in this role serves as an Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Technology within the Office of Science & Technology Policy. He works to advance the President's technology agenda by fostering new ideas and encouraging government-wide coordination to help the country meet its goals from job creation, to reducing health care costs, to protecting the homeland. He was sworn in on May 22nd, 2009. In 2008, Chopra was named to Government Technology magazine's Top 25 in their Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers issue.

Main Takeaways:Aneesh believes now is the time to be an innovator. Talked about President's plan for tech and US investment.

As CTO of the US, he wants to focus on three things:

- Healthcare - move payment to value, meaning focus on preventive care, rather than just treatment.

- Build learning system that works. Move away from seat time to mastery.

- Clean Energy - find ways to innovate energy usage.

Gary VaynerchukGary Vaynerchuk is the co-founder of VaynerMedia, founder of Wine Library TV, and the New York Times bestselling author of "Crush It! Why Now Is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion." Vaynerchuk's latest book, "The Thank You Economy," focuses on what he believes is the most important shift in culture businesses have seen. Through Vaynerchuk's dedication and hustle, he helped take his family's business, Wine Library, from $4 million to $60 million over the course of a decade. Vaynerchuk's latest video blog, Daily Grape, is a new twist on his five-year-old Wine Library TV.

Main Takeaways:

- Companies don't care enough about the end user. Need more focus on customers.- We create the same amount of content every 48 hours as the whole history of mankind, from the beginning up to 2003.- Too much content - need more context. - Ears are more important than your mouth. - "Intent" is the most important thing to grasp right now. - People aren't looking at billboards, they aren't even looking at the road. - Creating context with your customers is key. Execution is more important than ideas.

Micah BaldwinMicah Baldwin is CEO and chief community caretaker of Graphic.ly, a startup providing an immersive social experience and marketplace around digital comics and associated merchandise. Previously, Micah was with Lijit Networks, his sixth startup. Micah has helped author several books on internet and search marketing, and started the #followfriday meme on Twitter, which has become part of the fabric of the social web.

Main Takeaways:- Honesty- Always do the right thing- Give without expectation

Bo FishbackBo Fishback is the founder and CEO of Zaarly, a proximity-based, real-time, buyer-powered market where buyers make an offer for an immediate need and sellers cash in on their local marketplace. If you've ever said, "I'd pay ______ for _______" then Zaarly is for you. Previously, Fishback was the president of Kauffman Labs and the vice president of entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation.

Main Takeaways:In just 9 weeks, starting at Startup Weekend: L.A. leading up to Big Omaha, Zaarly has raised $1 million in funds, been featured in dozens of articles, and been called the “next big thing.”

Bo was in awe of Zaarly’s success. His main thing was “just get out there and execute your idea.”

Overall Impression:- Conference stayed with its usual theme of perseverance. “Just keep going.”

- Speakers were generally very good.

- Highlights were Gary Vaynerchuk and Bo Fishback.

- Main insight was that social media is going to change how everything works. It’s no longer about producing content. It’s about context and intent. Forging one-on-one relationships will determine who wins in business.