Arkansas Business

Startup Arkansas officially launches Friday with Think Big Arkansas, a day-long, open discussion of the Arkansas startup ecosystem at Hendrix College in Conway.

Startup Arkansas is the local component of the national Startup America movement, an effort to build strong local startup communities and "advance the success" of startups nationwide. StartupArkansas.com will serve as an aggregator of all things pertaining to the Arkansas startup community and includes many resources for entrepreneurs.

Friday's events will feature Scott Case, CEO of the Startup America Partnership and Priceline co-founder; Brad Feld, who co-founded the Foundry Group, TechStars and authored "Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City," and John James of Fayetteville's Acumen Brands.

The action begins at 9 a.m. (check-in at 8:30) and runs through a 7:30 p.m. conclusion and subsequent Feld book signing at ZaZa's on Ellis Avenue across Harkrider from campus. Feld will speak at 6:30; Case at noon, and James at 11:15 a.m. The event will take place in the student ballroom of the Student Life & Technology Center at Hendrix.

Think Big Arkansas is free, and it's not too late to register to attend.