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
Events Preview: Focus on Google Fiber, Coding and Cocktails
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 First Friday Focus – Google Fiber When: August 7 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Where: Village West Luxury Apartments Google Fiber launched…
KC selected as part of $42M data initiative
The City of Kansas City, Mo., plans to boost its tech tools thanks to its recent acceptance into a national initiative to improve government data programs. Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Wednesday that Kansas City was selected as part of its $42 million “What Works Cities” program. The initiative aims to help Kansas City and seven other…
Modern Coalition app ‘gamifying’ politics raises $350K
U.S. Congress is doing a lousy job. At least that’s what 78 percent of Americans thought in July, according to Gallup. The research group theorizes that such dissatisfaction is not only resulting in lower voter turnout, but also generally less political engagement — particularly among young people. Kansas City-based Modern Coalition, however, is hoping to…
KC’s startup economy so-so, study says
Kansas City for years has been making waves as an innovative community. Launching and attracting dozens of tech ventures serving a variety of industries, the Kansas City metro’s brand as an entrepreneurial hub continues to grow. But how does it compare to other communities in the U.S.? While focused on St. Louis, a recent report…