Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Spark Inspiration with Ignite Talks at Lean Startup Week

Guest post by Jennifer Maerz, Contributing Editor of Lean Startup Co. 

Lean Startup Week has it all: keynote talks, hands-on workshops, networking opportunities and lively flashes of inspiration from our extended community in the form of Ignite Talks.

Yup, our Ignite Talks are back because you all love filling your heads with new ideas over cocktails—and apparently dozens of savvy founders, intrapreneurs, city planners, retailers, and consultants are just dying to become performers with five minutes in the spotlight. Our brave Ignite presenters use their stage time to deliver lightning talks (and, occasionally, witty musicals) on the theme of innovation.

So we’ll spend happy hour on November 1st watching them breeze through 20 slides (that automatically advance every 15 seconds) while extolling their wisdom in an entertaining fashion about topics ranging from:

  • Barry O’Reilly from ExecCamp throwing down the challenge to reinvent your business to beat the average company lifespan 
  • Nicole Shephard from Travelport Labs describing the fail shots that led to wins at a $2 billion travel tech company 
  • Kelly McAdoo from the City of Hayward outlining the importance of using Lean Startup methodology to empower government employees and improve resident satisfaction 
  • Beth Sordi of BabyCenter comparing raising children with creating space for new ideas 
  • Peter Szanto of SpringTab detailing how to connect with your most loyal customers through personalization 
  • Consultant Ranjit Das mapping out how companies can develop a collaborative ethos by overcoming existing cultural baggage 
  • Bhavin Parikh of Magoosh offering his company as a case study in successfully bringing Lean Startup principles to life 
  • Consultant Tami Reiss revealing the secrets behind Gmail plug-in Just Not Sorry getting $100k in 30 days using the core tenets of Lean Startup 

We don’t want to give away the whole program just yet, but as a hint, our Ignite Talks presenters also include Monty Campbell (Lean Mobile Apps), Lynn Johnson (Spotlight:Girls), Janet Bumpas (InnoLeaps), Cindy Peterson & Janel Wellborn (Macy’s), and consultant Charu Nair. 

Ignite Talks are the perfect way for attendees to experience the breadth of Lean Startup in one session. It’s your chance to hear from founders in all industries talking about how they applied Lean Startup in short dynamic presentations. It’s also one of many group activities at Lean Startup Week—from the Ignite Talks to a 5k run, yoga classes, and our networking dinners, we’re offering plenty of opportunities to break from the typical conference status quo and have some fun while you learn.

Join us Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2016 in San Francisco for Lean Startup Week. Register before August 31 and save up to $700.