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
Farmobile lawsuit claims dismissed, CEO says ‘Truth won out and justice was served’
A more than two-year legal dispute over trade secrets has hit a milestone, Farmobile announced Friday, as a federal judge dismissed all claims against the Leawood-based farm data firm. “We welcome the court’s decision. Truth won out and justice was served,” said Jason Tatge, CEO of Farmobile. “Farmobile takes great pride in the development of…
Edcoda founder after pivot to new edtech app Boddle: ‘I wish I had failed faster’
Clarence Tan held onto his startup Edcoda longer than he should have, the founder admitted, but his pivot to a new edtech learning app, Boddle, should prove a more filling fit for users. “Boddle has a much better underlying vision and mission, as well as being better in terms of how it would work in…
New STEAM Studio ‘pop-up’ lab planned for Rockhurst library along Troost
With its quiet atmosphere and stacks of source materials, the bottom floor of the Greenlease Library at Rockhurst University is a great place to study or do research. But it doesn’t necessarily strike one as a state-of-the-art design thinking and learning lab — yet. Starting this summer, that section of the university’s library will be…
City: Best way to avoid tickets in downtown KCMO, Crossroads? Pay via ParkMobile app
Unsafe parking conditions in the city’s downtown business districts have spun out of control, prompting increased ticketing, said Matt Staub. The ParkMobile app can reduce such headaches for motorists searching for an open spot along busy Kansas City streets. “People are kind of making up their own parking spaces, parking in ‘no-parking’ zones — all…