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
Fund me KC: Mobility Designed
Startland News is continuing its new segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to share their stories to gain a little help from their supporters. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by contacting news@startlandnews.com Who: Liliana Younger, CEO…
Events Preview: Global Entrepreneurship Week
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’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW GEW is packed full of events for entrepreneurs of every stripe. We’ve hand-selected the events geared towards tech, early-stage businesses, education and…
KU football player’s tech startup scoring early success
Austin Barone didn’t begin playing football until his sophomore year after he transferred to St. Mary’s Colgan. He was disappointed to learn the school didn’t have a soccer team, so he turned to being the kicker for Panther football. A life-long athlete, he picked up the sport quickly and moved to the University of Kansas…
That’s what speed do: Startup Weekend showcases KC creativity and quickness
Business ideas can come from anywhere, at anytime. But few events are designed to accelerate a concept to an actual business in only 54 hours. That acceleration — paired with a team of innovative problem solvers — is the essence of Kansas City Startup Weekend. Speed, teamwork and creativity take center stage, and the best idea…