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
Jeff Shackelford: Here’s how to land Digital Sandbox funding
When it comes to pitching their startups, most Kansas Citians err on the side of selling themselves short. At least that’s what the Digital Sandbox KC’s Jeff Shackelford told a crowd Tuesday at an event helping community members who are interested in pitching to the incubator-style program. Launched in 2013, Digital Sandbox has supported a…
The education system is broken — these Kansas Citians want to fix it
As you may remember or have experienced with your own child, there seems to come a point in one’s educational journey where kids ask themselves — what’s the point? The answer has always been, so that you can get good grades, to get into a good college to then get a good job. The problem with…
What’s Kansas City doing at SXSW 2017 this year?
March is about to get weird. Startland News is once again returning to the weirdness of Austin, Texas, for the annual insanity that is the SXSW Conference. Like last year, we’ll be venturing to the Lone Star State to report on the Kansas City contingent at arguably the nation’s top conference for innovative ideas: South-by-Southwest…
Olathe-based Flow Forward raises $1M for vascular device
After completing a preclinical study, Olathe-based Flow Forward Medical nabbed another round of capital for its vascular device. The firm raised another $1 million from a group of unnamed, individual investors, bringing the firm’s total raised to $7 million. Flow Forward created the AFE blood pump system, which is designed for temporary use to quickly…