Listen: Leaders analyze KC’s entrepreneurial milestones, assess challenges

June 22, 2017  |  Meghan LeVota

EyeVerify CEO Toby Rush adresses the IXKC crowd

To say that Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community has matured in the last 15 years would be an understatement.

Many leaders say that if you lived in the metro during the early 2000s and were to return now, you may not even recognize the place.

Taking a moment to reflect on how far Kansas City has come, Startland News and Think Big’s June Innovation Exchange used a historical lens to analyze Kansas City entrepreneurship.

Panelists shared their analysis on the metro’s entrepreneurial ecosystem — including growth, future opportunities and areas to be improved.

In the conversation, you’ll hear from entrepreneurial community leaders including:

  • Joe Reardon, CEO of Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
  • Toby Rush, CEO of EyeVerify
  • Darcy Howe, Managing Director of the KCRise Fund
  • Joni Cobb, CEO of Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship
  • Herb Sih, Think Big Partners
  • Maria Meyers, Executive Director of KCSourceLink

A recording of the event is below, and photos are beneath that. Hope you enjoy!

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

2017 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    Investor market turns Midwest conservative: ‘Everyone here is feeling a changing landscape’

    By Tommy Felts | November 15, 2024

    After years of soaring valuations across the startup scene, venture firms like M25 are observing a shift to more risk-averse investors and stricter examinations of even the most-exciting company’s worth, said Abhinaya Konduru. “We’re seeing a new normal,” said Konduru, a principal on the influential Chicago-based M25 team and a panelist at Thursday’s MidxMidwest event…

    Power & Light: $10M in Live! Block upgrades planned before downtown’s Big 12 ‘opening day’

    By Tommy Felts | November 14, 2024

    The Kansas City Live! Block in the Power & Light District — a place KCMO Councilman Crispen Rea calls the living room of Kansas City — is set for a $10 million upgrade, local business and civic leaders announced Thursday. Key updates also target the popular District nightclub Mosaic. “It’s become an engine that generates…

    Google makes new $120K pledge to KC schools; region embraces a future built on flexibility 

    By Tommy Felts | November 14, 2024

    In an era of artificial intelligence and high-tech solutions, the children of Kansas City remain a vital piece of the region’s future economic sustainability, said Utaukwa Allen, announcing a new financial pledge from Google that targets local students. Kansas City Public Schools have been selected for a $120,000 partnership with Google to strengthen KCPS’ STEM…

    LaunchKC invested in this founder’s vision; now she’s helping the grants competition boost KC’s startup scene

    By Tommy Felts | November 14, 2024

    Editor’s note: LaunchKC — a longstanding initiative from the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and the Downtown Council — annual funds six to seven companies through its popular fall grants competition. Winning members of the 2025 LaunchKC cohort are set to be announced at a LaunchKC Liftoff event Nov. 19 at J. Rieger &…