Lean Lab announces new, mature fellowship class
June 18, 2015 | Andrea Essner
The Lean Lab, an education innovation incubator, announced its second cohort of fellows who hope to bring meaningful change to Kansas City education.
In the 2015 class, 10 fellows with seven solutions for Kansas City’s urban education will be participating in the Lean Lab’s summer program.
Fellows arrive at the program with ideas in various stages of development, Lean Lab co-founder Katie Boody said. Boody, a former middle school teacher, identified this year’s cohort as a group with advanced solutions.
“Fellows have been working on their solutions for a little bit longer,” she said. “It’s not just the idea stage.”
Lean Lab fellows participate in a month-long incubator program, which began Tuesday. During the summer program, fellows engage in a process of innovation that involves rapid prototyping and testing of their solutions to a problem in Kansas City education.
This year’s group is taking a closer look at how to help youth in education.
“These are direct initiatives that are impacting students,” Boody said. “They’re already taking on really big problems and I’m really excited to see where they end up.”
An important component of the incubator is building partnerships, Boody said. Fellows receive mentorship from the creative professional in Kansas City, and have the opportunity to pilot ideas at schools or programs once they’ve been refined in the incubator.
Fellows will pitch their solutions at a culminating event, Launch Day, July 17.
Learn more about the Lean Lab with this video from our media partner, Kansas City Public Television:
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Modern Coalition app ‘gamifying’ politics raises $350K
U.S. Congress is doing a lousy job. At least that’s what 78 percent of Americans thought in July, according to Gallup. The research group theorizes that such dissatisfaction is not only resulting in lower voter turnout, but also generally less political engagement — particularly among young people. Kansas City-based Modern Coalition, however, is hoping to…
The WTF series: ‘Rockstar developer’
On a daily basis, Ben Kittrell translates the jargon-filled world of technology for clients of his tech consultancy. The Words that Frustrate (WTF) series aims to offer readers some clarity in an industry dominated by techies’ confusing argot. Every time I’m in a meeting with a client, someone uses a word or acronym that cues…
KC’s startup economy so-so, study says
Kansas City for years has been making waves as an innovative community. Launching and attracting dozens of tech ventures serving a variety of industries, the Kansas City metro’s brand as an entrepreneurial hub continues to grow. But how does it compare to other communities in the U.S.? While focused on St. Louis, a recent report…
New report crowns the ‘Silicon Prairie’ capital
The Windy City was again named the capital of the so-called Silicon Prairie region. Chicago ranked No. 7 in the 2015 Global Startup Ecosystem Ranking, a report compiled by market research firm Compass. The United States dominated the list, which crowned Silicon Valley as No. 1, followed by New York City, Los Angeles and Boston,…