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
No MO: Kansas City, St. Louis drop off Inc list of ‘50 Best Cities for Starting a Business’
Shots fired. A new ranking by Inc. magazine claims startup powerhouse Austin, Texas, is “leading the nation in job creation and high-growth company density — and delish BBQ.” Kansas City? Not even on the list. Inc.’s Surge Cities index — detailing what founders can learn from the 50 Best U.S. Cities for Starting a Business…
Meet the 2020 class: BetaBlox demo day returning with events across startup sister cities
Audience tickets for BetaBlox’s Overland Park demo day are nearly gone, said Weston Bergmann, just weeks before the incubator program showcases its newest startups across three events in two cities. The “can’t-miss entrepreneurship event” Jan. 20 at the GRID Collaborative Workspace is expected to entail a combination of pitches, expo-style networking, and a panel of…
FitBark GPS launches with embedded sim card for tracking lost pups via cell service
FitBark’s latest treat for pet lovers: A four-legged friend finder. FitBark GPS recently launched in the Kansas City-based startup’s U.S. market, said Davide Rossi, co-founder and CEO, detailing new features that allow owners to pinpoint their dogs’ locations in case of emergency via embedded Verizon cell service. “We send all of the owners an alert…
Two tech founders identified a coding talent gap; they launched WeCodeKC to help fill it
A future-ready workforce depends on students mastering as many technology, cybersecurity, and computer science skills as possible, said Tammy Buckner. The founder at CTO of Techquity Digital, Buckner joined forces this fall with Dr. Phillip Hickman, author and founder of PlaBook, to launch WeCodeKC — a no-cost, year-round program built to promote computer skills through…