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

    His family-fried waffle spot is open for cheat day (but not breakfast); How Dennis Alazzeh played chicken with restaurant trends and won

    By Tommy Felts | October 25, 2024

    Kansas City-battered Chick-In Waffle is expanding into Johnson County; its owner — a son from within Jerusalem Cafe’s founding family — gives the classic American chicken-and-waffle combo a global twist with flavors like Asian chili, tikka masala, and queso After slogging away in his father’s restaurants while in school, Dennis Alazzeh swore off the industry…

    Theater’s $8.7M rehab set to bring Black Movie Hall of Fame, Black Rep to KC’s ‘cultural corridor’

    By Tommy Felts | October 25, 2024

    A century after the storied structure’s construction, an $8.7 million redevelopment project at the Boone Theater in Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine Jazz District aims to recapture the space’s potential as a cultural hub for the community — and a bridge to the city’s history. The long-awaited project at 1701 E. 18th St. is…

    Ice rinks to skee-ball: Phase 1 of this massive sports entertainment complex opening in JoCo after 20 years in the works

    By Tommy Felts | October 24, 2024

    Once completed: ‘You’ll come here for a three-day weekend and not see your car until you leave on Sunday’ With its highly-anticipated opening this weekend, a sprawling new sports and recreation complex in south Johnson County is expected to soon spark fights between parents over who gets to take their kid to the weekend tournament,…

    Bill Nye: We’re all born scientists — most people just get distracted; here’s how the ‘Science Guy’ thinks critical thinking can make the world better

    By Tommy Felts | October 24, 2024

    Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro.  WICHITA, Kansas — Even with a looming (and divisive) election within weeks, the impacts of severe weather becoming more clear, and an increasingly uncertain future written within online algorithms, now…