KC picks who they think will win LaunchKC’s $50K grants
September 18, 2015 | Bobby Burch
Twenty startups are hoping to snag $50,000 during the LaunchKC grant competition.
Nearly 500 companies applied to be part of the contest, which will be announcing the winners at Techweek Kansas City at 3 p.m. Friday. Below are predictions from a few members of the tech, startup and entrepreneurship community meandering around Techweek on who they think will win the grants.
Startland News will report the winners later today, so make sure to check back to see who of our predictors was most accurate. An underlined company denotes who they think will win the people’s choice award. Click here to see what companies won the grants.
Melissa Roberts, marketing director at the Enterprise Center of Johnson County (5 correct)
LaborChart
KC Drone Company
Integrated Roadways
SkillGravity
Edge Up Sports
SquareOffs
Nodal Security
Pycno
Blooom
Ulytic
Rick Usher, assistant city manager for entrepreneurship and small business with the (5 correct)
Ovatemp
Integrated Roadways
KC Drone Company
REI Hammer
SquareOffs
Blooom
Loadlytics
TapTeach
PopBookings
Ulytic
Grant Gordon, president of Solomon Consulting (1st place, tie, 7 correct)
HealthID
KC Drone Company
SquareOffs
Vertisense
Blooom
Loadlytics
PopBookings
TapTeach
VideoFizz
Ulytic
Jason Grill, senior advisor at Parris Communications (1st place, tie, 7 correct)
Integrated Roadways
HealthID
SkillGravity
Edge Up Sports
SquareOffs
Pycno
Blooom
Loadlytics
PopBookings
VideoFizz
Bryan Azorsky, founder of Tin Man Prints (6 correct)
Ovatemp
Integrated Roadways
HealthID
Edge Up Sports
Mobility Designed
Pycno
Vertisense
Blooom
PopBookings
TapTeach
Kaitlin Motley, technology marketer (5 correct)
Ovatemp
Integrated Roadways
HealthID
Edge Up Sports
Nodal Security
Pycno
Virtutecture
Blooom
Loadlytics
Ulytic
Dustin Abercrombie, founder of VeriQuik (1st place, tie, 7 correct)
LaborChart
Integrated Roadways
Edge Up Sports
KC Drone Company
Nodal Security
Virtutecture
Vertisense
Blooom
PopBookings
VideoFizz
Scott Howell, front-end web developer at Pinsight Media+(1st place, tie, 7 correct)
LaborChart
Integrated Roadways
Edge Up Sports
SkillGravity
SquareOffs
Nodal Security
Pycno
Vertisense
Blooom
PopBookings
Matthew Marcus, founder of 1 Minute Candidate (5 correct)
Ovatemp
SkillGravity
Edge Up Sports
SquareOffs
Pycno
Vertisense
Blooom
PopBookings
VideoFizz
Ulytic
Featured Business

2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Randy Wasinger wanted the 1952 Topps of NFTs; so the lifelong baseball card collector started coding (and Mark Cuban came calling)
Editor’s note: The following includes excerpts from “The Corporate Couch” podcast as part of a collaboration between host Jeff Pelaccio and Startland News to highlight Web3 companies and founders in the space. The 15-year-old boy within Randy Wasinger — so obsessed with baseball cards that he opened a card shop in downtown Russell, Kansas, to sell…
Kansas legislation banning DeepSeek passes to state Senate after swell of support in House
Editor’s note: This article was written for a class at the University of Kansas’ William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and distributed through the Kansas Press Association. TOPEKA — A bill seeking to ban DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot, from state devices has advanced in the Kansas Legislature. HB 2313 passed…
Transportant picked a lane; now the Lenexa bus tech startup wants to conquer even more of the road
From the driver’s seat, Martin Staples is steering Lenexa-based Transportant toward rapid growth with its real-time, tech-driven approach, he said, bringing greater safety, communication, and efficiency to school buses and expanding the startup’s reach beyond its Midwest home region. Fueling Transportant’s plans to leave coast-to-coast tracks — and beyond — will be key, said Staples, who…
Pitch winners step into spotlight as PHKC helps emerging small biz owners shine on stage (Photos)
Jacquinta Nelson stood before a packed crowd at The Porter House KC’s Pitch Night this week, sharing her vision for S.T.E.P. Movement, a community-based step team designed to uplift young girls. Moments later, she was awarded a $4,000 grand prize. The recognition was deeply personal for Nelson, who is dedicated to mentoring youth to be…









