Sprint Accelerator opens applications, dons new name
August 31, 2015 | Bobby Burch
Kansas City’s top business accelerator is now accepting applications for a wider applicant pool after a recent — albeit minimal — name change.
The Sprint Mobile Accelerator — formerly the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator — lightened up its name to better reflect its broader focus on boosting mobile-centric startups. Led by Boulder-based Techstars, the accelerator is welcoming applicants for its three-month, Kansas City-based program, which takes place Feb. 22 through May 24.
“We’re all very excited to see what types of companies apply,” said John Fein, managing director of Techstars. “Sprint will provide amazing resources and this is the only Techstars program focused solely on mobile tech, so we expect the application process to be very competitive. (We) can’t wait to meet some awesome mobile startups.”
Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure announced in May that the accelerator will have a broader focus than its previous mobile health target. As a result, Claure hopes to highlight the top companies’ products or services in Sprint stores around the nation. Fein said that Techstars is working with Sprint now to figure out how that agreement will work.
Fein said that the broader mobile focus will change his approach for attracting companies from around the world. He added that he hopes many local firms will apply.
“Now that we’re open to almost any startup, it presents us with a lot more opportunities for recruiting,” he said. “We plan to recruit heavily in the KC and greater Silicon Prairie area and will also partner with select events in other areas of the U.S. … Techstars and Sprint are all about building the local community so when we select the ten best companies for 2016, we’d love for KC to be represented.”
Fein said that examples of mobile companies that should apply include: wearables; consumer apps; digital services such as advertising, commerce or in-home; Internet of Things; and big data or analytics.
The application period for the accelerator’s third class in Kansas City opens today and closes on Nov. 22. Click here to apply.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
WATCH: KCK-raised R&B artist emerges from the ruins of vulnerability to ‘touch people’s souls’
For Alanzo McIntosh Jr., exploring his voice means journeying through the KCK native’s roots, along with themes of self-doubt and self-discovery, and a deep connection to the struggles faced by Black and brown people across the globe — and here at home, he shared. “I wanted to make music that spoke to the soul and spoke…
Loud is in season: How one designer plans to yell their angrily sewn message during KC Fashion Week
Dustin Loveland channeled love — and anger — into a debut spring and summer collection that premieres soon at Kansas City Fashion Week 2023. “I’ve had to deal with a lot of anger from the past couple of years for a variety of reasons,” said Loveland, a non-binary freelance designer and sewer in Kansas City.…
They started their own businesses; now these young founders are widening the pipeline to entrepreneurship for their peers
Aidan Hall felt the support of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem when he launched what would become KC Handmade Goods as an eighth grader, he said; years later, the young business owner is working to pay that feeling forward. An Iowa State freshman and Shawnee Mission West graduate, Hall got his start selling duct tape wallets…
Lay off costly corporate conferences: Jewell Unlimited touts mobile-first microlearning in minutes
A learning agency funded by William Jewell College is bringing a fresh approach to professional development, hoping to curate the “unregulated mess” of digital information into mobile-first microlearning modules that will empower workers and help them advance their careers. “Every single thing throughout human history that has ever been learned and codified, it’s already available…