CodeIgniter Project Starter
Examine other code
Something that helped me enormously was going through the code base of the Redux 2 Authentication system (currently in beta).
The code for the project is well formatted and clear. It uses a model, view, controller, library and a decent config file for customisations.
The way the code is written will give you an insight into how a CodeIgniter project can be built in a very clean manner.
Use a library
Other ways to get started quickly include using a library to grab data from an API. For example, try out the Flickr, Twitter or Last FM libraries written by Eliot Haughin.
These enable you to use other site's data in interesting ways.
Sample Application
There is also a sample application provided by Derek Allard at this URL.
I've only tried CodeCrafter (https://launchpad.net/codecrafter) and it's quite decent, but there are others:
http://*.com/trac/catalystmodel (see comment)http://codeigniter.com/wiki/Rapyd_Components/http://*.com/trac/quickmodel (see comment)Good luck!
This Net-tuts series sold me on CI. It's not an actual kick-starter, but will guide you through the basics and some more in-depth stuff.