Grietens seeks entrepreneurs’ input on how to make Missouri more innovative
July 25, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is seeking input from the Show Me State’s entrepreneurs, investors on how the state can foster more innovation.
In June, Greitens launched a task force to spur startup activity and innovation in the State of Missouri. Over the past month, the Innovation Task Force hosted a handful of workshops throughout the state.
During a workshop in Springfield this month, Greitens shared his vision for Missouri.
“Our mission is to make Missouri the leader in innovation and entrepreneurship between the east and west coasts,” Greitens said in a statement.
The task force is asking Missourians to offer feedback on the state’s innovation efforts by participating in an online focus group and survey, which they can access by clicking here. The state is also turning to social media to engage constituents with the hashtag #MOInnovationTF.
“This is not a theoretical exercise just to bring people together to talk. We need to have action,” Missouri chief operating officer Drew Erdmann said in a release. “We know (the governor announced) an ambitious goal. But when you look at our assets across the state, though, we really do have the potential to achieve it.”
Some of those assets include industries such as agriculture, health and biology technology, according to the online focus group.
With support from the nonpartisan Hawthorn Foundation, the task force is currently preparing policy recommendations that aim to prop up Missouri as a prime destination for tech startups. It will also give an overall assessment of innovation in the Show Me State and analyze other states to glean best practices.
Rob Dixon, the director for the Missouri Department of Economic Development, said the effort is a piece of the broader economic development strategy in the Show Me State.
“Missouri is home to many large and successful global corporations that started small, right here by innovators and entrepreneurs,” Dixon said in a release. “We want to systematically encourage and help the next generations of these businesses grow.”
The final workshop in the series will be held in Cape Girardeau July 31. The task force will complete its work by the end of August.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Techstars KC alum Grit Virtual posts $840K oversubscribed seed round
Reality is starting to sink in for Grit Virtual, said co-founder Chris Callen. “It’s exciting to finally be able to talk about our funding rounds and the successes we have had,” Callen said. “It’s been an exciting ride so far, and we’re kind of gearing up to make it a real company, not just an R&D…
State of Entrepreneurship Address: Redefine ‘entrepreneur’ through inclusion
Entrepreneurship rates are half of what they were a generation ago, and although the U.S. population is increasingly diverse, educated and older, the nation’s entrepreneurial population isn’t changing at the same pace, Wendy Guillies said. Founders face too many barriers, said Guillies, president and chief executive officer of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Wednesday morning…
Photos: Innovation Exchange returns with Top KC Startups to Watch celebration
So … What’s your spirit animal? Eleven startup founders and leaders joined Startland News and the Kansas City Startup Foundation on stage Tuesday for a rebooted Innovation Exchange experience — complete with casual conversation, jazz and few unexpected queries. Saluting the Top Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2018, the rapid-fire, Q&A-style event showcased the…
City gave into fear, failed the test on innovation with Airbnb vote, councilman says
Kansas City’s move Thursday to prohibit short-term rentals in large portions of the city sent a clear message to entrepreneurs with disruptive ideas and technology, Quinton Lucas said: “Not In My Backyard.” “I don’t know why a city that has so many innovators and that’s buzzing, that’s exciting — and frankly doesn’t always have…