Micah Baldwin, who spoke at the innaugural Big Omaha, is back again this year and will take the stage Friday morning. Photo by Malone & Company.
Haven’t had time to study up on all of this year’s Big Omaha speakers? Not to worry; we can help you cram. We’ve combed the world wide interwebs to come up with a couple of stories, interviews, videos or otherwise noteworthy nuggets on each of our Big Omaha presenters so that you can brush up before you sit down at KANEKO on Friday morning.
Gary Vaynerchuk, Co-Founder of VaynerMedia
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- From The Daily: “Next Wave with Gary Vaynerchuk: Higher Ed., Lower Value” (Video), on the subject of the education bubble and Peter Thiel’s strategy for encouraging entrepreneurs to circumvent higher education
- From National Public Radio: “A Wine Blogger’s Guide to Social Media For Business“
Philip Kaplan, Entrepreneur in San Francisco
- From TechCrunch: “Milk Completes $1.5 Million Angel Round, Packed With Valley Names,” on Kaplan joining several other angel investors — including Big Omaha speakers Shervin Pishevar and Gary Vaynerchuk — in funding Kevin Rose’s most recent startup, Milk, a mobile development lab
- From Pud’s Blog: “Getting users for your new startup,” on the variety of ways — from stirring controversey to getting a celebrity endorsement to mastering SEO optimzation — that entrepreneurs can build their user base in a hurry
Neil Blumenthal, Co-Founder of Warby Parker
- From the Los Angeles Times “All the Rage” blog: “Warby Paker launches sunglasses for summer,” on Warby Paker’s recent announcement that it’s releasing a line of shades in time for summer
- From TedX on YouTube: “TEDxPenn – Neil Blumenthal – Unexpected: An Eyewear Company as a Force for Good” (Video), on the story behind Warby Parker, which was born out of four friends determined to create classically crafted eyewear at a revolutionary price point
Micah Baldwin, CEO and Chief Community Caretaker of Graphic.ly
- From Learn to Duck: “Cars and Sweet Tea,” on Baldwin’s recently experiences speaking at FutureMidwest and LessConf and the answers to questions he frequently encounters from entrepreneurs at conferences like those and Big Omaha
- From Publishers Weekly: “Digital Comics Offerings Growing for Nook,” on the launch of digital comics on Barnes & Noble’s Nook eReader, a move that Graphic.ly has been a prominent player in
Marc Eckō, Founder of Artists & Instigators
- From The Huffington Post: “Marc Ecko: From Fashion to Foursquare and Fighting for Education Reform Online” (Video), on Ecko’s launch of the Unlilmited Justice campaign, which seeks to end corporal punishment in schools
- From Artists & Instigators: “Marc Ecko’s Venture Innovation Company Artists & Instigators Launches A&I Practicum,” on Artists & Instigators’ launch of a next-generation entrepreneurial engine in conjunction with the White House’s Startup America project
Travis Kalanick, Co-Founder and CEO of Uber
- From The New York Times: “With a Start-Up Company, a Ride Is Just a Tap of an App Away,” on the challenges Uber faces with its recent expansion to New York
- From TechCrunch: “Huge Vote Of Confidence: Uber Raises $11 million From Benchmark Capital,” on a February round of funding for Kalanick’s startup
Bo Fishback, Founder and CEO of Zaarly
- From businessinsider.com: “I’ll Pay $25 To Anyone Who Reads This,” on Zaarly’s first two months, from Fishback’s pitch at Startup Weekend Los Angeles through late April
- From TechCrunch: “Hungover at SXSW? Use Zaarly To Get Your Gatorade And Advil” (Video), on Zaarly going live for South By Southwest in Austin in March
