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
KC native builds jumpsuits for all occasions — butt flap included
Party and potty in one easy piece. Literally. That’s the benefit of wearing a jumpsuit with a butt flap included: Users avoid the hassle of removing half the outfit to use the restroom, said Brittany Weltner. The Kansas City native just launched a crowdfunding campaign for her new business, Jomper, to build more functional jumpsuits…
‘Get a glimpse of your future’ — Investors want data with your pitch
Editor’s Note: This content is sponsored by Mid-Continent Public Library but independently produced by Startland News. For more on the tools discussed in this article, click here. Imagine this. Your wearable tech firm is thriving — so much, in fact, that you need an injection of investment capital to maintain sustainable growth. You’ve booked some…
Launch It Successfully hopes to reduce early stage frustration, struggle for startups
A new accelerator program produced by key leaders of software development firm Illumisoft is helping innovators start their businesses by “cutting through the nonsense,” said Tyler Prince. “We want to help entrepreneurs succeed,” he said. “I think we live in an age when change happens so rapidly.” Launch It Successfully’s goal is to assist early…
Is government helping startups enough? Founders feel isolated, Kauffman survey finds
Early stage entrepreneurs struggle with the technical steps to getting started, a new Kauffman survey found, and founders don’t believe the government is helping them. The prevailing sentiment that entrepreneurs view themselves as isolated from assistance is understandable, said Melissa Roberts, vice president of strategy and economic development at the Enterprise Center in Johnson County.…