And then there was one: Blooom the sole local firm left in national pitch contest
November 17, 2015 | Bobby Burch
Financial tech startup Blooom is the lone Kansas City-area company to advance in the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s “One in a Million” pitch competition
Out of an initial field of more than 350 companies, the Leawood-based firm advanced to the final round of five in the foundation’s pitch contest. The competition, which will conclude the morning of Nov. 18 during Global Entrepreneurship Week, will award $10,000 to one startup that previously participated in the foundation’s 1 Million Cups program.
The other four startups to advance in the contest are: SwineTech of New Sharon, Iowa; Upsie of Minneapolis, Minn.; DryBox of San Antonio, Texas; and My Solar of Los Angeles, California. Two other Kansas City-area companies — Idle Smart and AEGLE Palette — failed to advance to the final round of five.
A star-studded lineup of businesspeople from around the nation will be judging Blooom and the other four startups. Judges in the competition’s final round of five startups are: Marcelo Claure, CEO of Sprint; Nicole Glaros, chief product officer of Techstars; and Paul Kedrosky, managing partner of SK Ventures.
Kansas City Mayor Sly James will present the first-place team the grand prize of $10,000, while second- and third-place winners will receive $5,000 and $1,000, respectively.
The Kauffman Foundation will be providing a live stream of the competition 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kauffman Foundation becomes key supporter of Startland News
I never thought I’d be here. Comfortable with a keyboard, coffee and notepad, I’ve always thought of myself solely as a journalist. After years writing about entrepreneurs, I never imaged that one day the strategies and struggles they shared would help me make sense of leading a new venture. Indeed, entrepreneurship is often glamorized. I’ll…
Kauffman Foundation announces winner of 1 in a Million contest
Kansas City’s reign atop the national 1 in a Million contest has ended. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation announced Wednesday that Anchoraged-based Pandere Shoes won the contest, beating out one local finalist and winning $25,000 in the process. The Grooming Project was the sole Kansas City firm left in the competition, which challenges 1 Million…
Lawrence drone tech firm navigates obstacle course to win national contest
A Lawrence-based firm that designs sensors and flight controllers to help drones fly more safely recently snagged an international award for its tech. Founded in 2015, Aerotenna won first prize at the Unmanned Traffic Management Preliminary Drone Sense & Avoid technology competition, earning it $12,000 and valuable exposure to industry experts. Aerotenna CEO Dr. Zongbo…
Events Preview: GEW Innovation Exchange
There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious Kansas Citian, we recommend these upcoming events for you. Join us in celebrating the remainder of Global Entrepreneurship Week and check out these events. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW The Capital Series: So You…