KC picks who they think will win LaunchKC’s $50K grants

September 18, 2015  |  Bobby Burch

Techweek (9 of 15)

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

Melissa Roberts

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

Rick Usher

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 Gooding

Grant Gordon


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

Jason Grill


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


 

Brian Azorsky

Brian Azorsky


Bryan Azorsky, founder of Tin Man Prints (6 correct)

Ovatemp
Integrated Roadways
HealthID
Edge Up Sports
Mobility Designed
Pycno
Vertisense
Blooom
PopBookings
TapTeach

 


 

Kaitin Motley

Kaitin Motley

Kaitlin Motley, technology marketer (5 correct)
Ovatemp
Integrated Roadways
HealthID
Edge Up Sports
Nodal Security
Pycno
Virtutecture
Blooom
Loadlytics
Ulytic

 


 

Dustin Abercrombie

Dustin Abercrombie

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

 


 

IMAG3815

Scott Howell


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

 

 

 


 

Techweek (5 of 15)

Matthew Marcus

Matthew Marcus, founder of 1 Minute Candidate (5 correct)
Ovatemp
SkillGravity
Edge Up Sports
SquareOffs
Pycno
Vertisense
Blooom
PopBookings
VideoFizz
Ulytic


 

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

Tagged
Featured Business
    Featured Founder

      2015 Startups to Watch

        stats here

        Related Posts on Startland News

        This voter-approved investor backed Zhou B Arts, KD Academy and a new hotel at 18th and Vine; now it has a new home

        By Tommy Felts | September 23, 2025

        EDCKC absorbing initiative built to strengthen KC’s urban core after $60M in investments A move to transition the Central City Economic Development (CCED) program under the umbrella of a larger KCMO impact agency is expected to boost the urban core-focused initiative’s ability to uplift both the people and the places at the heart of Kansas…

        Hidden costs of grief: Chef’s murder illustrates economic toll of gun violence in KC

        By Tommy Felts | September 19, 2025

        Editor’s note: This story was originally published by The Beacon, a member of the KC Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story from The Beacon, an online news outlet focused on local, in-depth journalism in the public interest.…

        ‘The American dream is the Midwest’: LaunchKC powers next generation of startup job creators

        By Tommy Felts | September 19, 2025

        Editor’s note: The following is part of an ongoing feature series exploring impacts of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Relocating to Kansas City after winning a LaunchKC grant — and the community and infrastructure support that comes with it — gives Russel Karim’s startup a centralized…

        Roz audits its path to $2.15M in early funding; how KC helped this AI startup scale its potential

        By Tommy Felts | September 18, 2025

        A series of funding wins is boosting a Kansas City startup’s efforts to automate the most complex — and tedious — parts of compliance work, drawing from the co-founder’s own pain points and resources from a server-full of local entrepreneur support initiatives.  With $2.15 million in funding under its belt so far, Olathe-based Roz — which…