LaunchCode kicks off Kansas City office with $250K boost
February 12, 2016 | Bobby Burch
Fresh off its expansion to Kansas City, LaunchCode will tap additional capital from the Missouri Technology Corporation to boost its operations focused on tech workforce development.
Founded in 2013, LaunchCode now partners with a variety of Kansas City companies — including EyeVerify, UMB, Blooom and Venture360 — to provide a new pipeline of homegrown tech talent.
With a visit Thursday from Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon at the Sprint Accelerator, the MTC announced that it would inject an additional $250,000 into LaunchCode, which expanded from St. Louis to the City of Fountains in January. The additional funds bring the total support from MTC for the LaunchCode’s Kansas City expansion to $500,000.
“Kansas City’s thriving business community and highly-educated workforce make it the ideal location for tech companies to locate and grow,” Gov. Nixon said. “The burgeoning technology scene here in Kansas City’s Crossroads is a big reason why Missouri is a nationally-recognized leader in high-tech jobs and innovation. By balancing budgets and making smart investments in education and entrepreneurship, we will continue to move Kansas City and the entire state forward.”
Founded in 2013, LaunchCode is currently partnering with a variety of Kansas City companies — including EyeVerify, UMB, Blooom and Venture360 — and connecting with the region’s developers. The nonprofit’s goal is to support Kansas City’s tech ecosystem and provide a new pipeline of homegrown tech talent.
The organization was founded by Jim McKelvey, who was a co-founder in Square and is officing in the Sprint Accelerator. McKelvey previously sat down with Startland News to discuss LaunchCode’s plans.
“You can expect an accelerated version of what we did in St. Louis, which has been very successful,” he said. “The idea with LaunchCode is we are about bringing people into the ecosystem on behalf of the businesses. LaunchCode focuses on the needs of the businesses. We do education, we do reach out to underserved populations, but that is not our mission. Our mission is to solve the tech talent gap. So the way we do that is very specific: we start with the companies, we find out what the companies need and we help them.”
Also as part of the announcement, Gov. Nixon welcomed Pramata, a tech firm based in San Francisco that opened an office in the Crossroads and will create 15 jobs. Pramata offers business-to-business services to help companies retain and grow customer relationships.
“Kansas City offers a unique combination of a skilled talent pool along with a central location,” Saklani said. “It’s the ideal place to anchor our U.S. expansion and a fantastic base from which to serve our customers. We’re looking forward to being a member of and contributor to the local community.”
Featured Business
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Help from above: Why protecting satellites from cyber attacks could hold key to adapting to climate change
Humans must responsibly rise to the occasion as Earth’s climate changes, Charles Beames said, detailing the role well-protected satellites and space systems can play in putting life-preserving solutions into orbit. “Space systems are one of the keys to the future, our future, of dealing with the changing climate and our adaptation,” said Beames, aerospace expert and…
In the field: Industry-specific, hands-free voice tech helps ‘hero up’ data collecting workers
After years of research, Bruce Rasa and his team identified a consistent pain point for field workers: capturing data on-the-go and looping it back to their headquarters. They need a co-pilot, he said, noting the role played by KC-based Dexer (formerly AgVoice), agriculture’s first handsfree data capture service to help cross-industry specialists create records —…
New city flag designed for KC’s now (and tomorrow): Here’s where you’ll see it flying first
Kansas City is ushering in an era of growth and development, Jared Horman said, and the unveiling of a new municipal flag is just the way to recognize this new chapter. “The timing feels particularly exciting with the Chiefs headed to the Super Bowl, the opening of the new terminal at the airport and the…
Pushing without force: Founder credits accelerator’s collaborative ‘in the trenches’ guidance for overseas scaling success
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by the NMotion startup accelerator, but was independently produced by Startland News. The powerhouse mix of global and localized support David Biga received from the NMotion Growth Accelerator was well worth the program’s required exchange of equity, the proptech startup founder detailed. Particle Space — one of Startland News’…