Kansas City gigabit projects can snag up to $25K from Mozilla
January 26, 2016 | Bobby Burch
The Mozilla Foundation is planning to empower Kansas City techies to improve their city.
The foundation — along with the National Science Foundation and US Ignite — announced Monday that it’s allocating $300,000 to civically-minded, gigabit pilot projects in Kansas City and Chattanooga, TN.
The Mozilla Gigabit Community Fund is now accepting applications from techies and educators in both cities to submit ideas. Applicants can be local companies, non-profits or other institutions interested in tapping Kansas City’ gigabit speeds to improve education and workforce development.
If selected, projects can receive funding between $5,000 and $25,000, in addition to ongoing support and mentoring from Mozilla. The projects must take place in Kansas City, but applicants can come from around the world.
To date, the Fund has supported the development of 17 pilot projects in Kansas City and Chattanooga. Past projects include improved first-responder equipment, a real-time water quality monitoring system and singing robots.
While limited in funding size, the fund has had a positive effect on the local community, Mozilla Gigabit City Lead Lindsey Frost said.
“From relatively small grants have come huge impacts, as these projects continue as yearlong courses in our schools or even as full-fledged gigabit tech startups,” Frost said in a release.
Featured Business
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Mayor: ‘KC is on fire’ (and the city needs to keep turning up the heat); Lucas urges investment ahead of World Cup, major events
Kansas City, Missouri, is its strongest fiscal position ever, said Mayor Quinton Lucas, emphasizing the city’s potential to capitalize on that economic stability — coupled with headline-grabbing national attention thanks to the Chiefs — to tackle a range of concerns facing entrepreneurs and workers. Opportunities for investment, growth, redevelopment and crime prevention for small businesses are…
Looking for the right exit? Driven founders first must know their startup’s destination
Setting an exit goal early is crucial when founding a startup, shared Robert Zhou, a Kansas City serial entrepreneur-turned-angel investor. “Every startup I mentor, I ask the founder this from Day 1: ‘What’s your goal?’” he explained. “‘Are you trying to build a business that you ultimately sell for $10 million? Is it $1 million?…
Digital Health KC awarded $311K grant with goal to add 70+ jobs, $6M+ in wages across region
Newly announced funding from the Missouri Technology Corporation is expected to boost a regional initiative that aims to open greater access to critical capital and partnerships for Kansas City area companies in a rapidly emerging industry. BioNexus KC — a catalyst for innovation in animal and human health — has received a $311,000 MOBEC (Missouri…
MTC grant puts ‘cherry on top’ for KC startup closing its seed round; two more local companies earn MO funding
A trio of Kansas City tech startups are among seven Missouri companies splitting $2.2 million in equity-based investments from the State of Missouri — a funding milestone that not only reflects momentum, but amplifies it, one grant-winning founder said. The Missouri Technology Corporation on Tuesday announced the awards from its IDEA Fund, with investments slated for…