The clock is ticking: LaunchKC grants’ deadline is Friday
July 5, 2017 | Bobby Burch
Startups in Kansas City and beyond have about 48 hours to apply for LaunchKC grants.
The contest — which will allocate $500,000 via nine grants to startups from around the nation — will accept applications until 11:59 p.m., July 7.
LaunchKC will dish out eight $50,000 grants and one $100,000 grand prize. The final round of competition will unfold live at Techweek Kansas City on Friday, Sept. 15 during a pitch contest.
In 2016, LaunchKC drew more than 400 tech startup applicants for the second year in a row.
In addition to a grant, winning entrepreneurs receive other benefits, including free office space for one year; industry-specific mentors; and professional services, in areas such as legal, financial, and marketing. The grant competition is led by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City and the Downtown Council of Kansas City.
Winners of the 2016 LaunchKC grants were: Big Bang, BLITAB, ConsultUS, FEWDM, Forest Devices, Labor Chart, Mobility Designed, Mycroft AI, Perfect Cube and Super Dispatch.
Winners of the 2015 LaunchKC grants were: Blooom, Integrated Roadways, KC Drone Company, Nodal Security, Health ID, PopBookings, Pycno, SquareOffs, Vertisense and VideoFizz.
Featured Business

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Dublin down on shenanigans: Smoke Brewing goes green with St. Patrick’s season pop-up
St. Patrick’s Day-themed Shenanigans is now open in downtown Lee’s Summit. But just until March 23. The owners of Smoke Brewing Company at 209 S.E. Main St. decked out the barbecue restaurant and brewery in floor-to-ceiling St. Paddy’s decor, and have food and drink specials to match. It’s a way to make St. Patrick’s Day…
How Trump’s win on DEI means fewer fresh foods for KC’s east side; USDA rakes back critical grant for farmers market
An ambitious plan to create greater food security through urban farming won’t be entirely uprooted by efforts to dry up federal funding for projects linked to equity and access, said Alana Henry — but its harvest likely will yield dramatically less. “Doing right by people is always the right answer,” said Henry, executive director of…
‘Black-owned dining passport’ launches in response to Trump’s attacks on diversity
A new effort encouraging support for local, Black-owned businesses — many in Kansas City’s historically redlined neighborhoods — is a timely reminder of the purchasing power in each diner’s hands, said Brandon Calloway. Kansas City G.I.F.T. on Friday launched the first edition of its “Savor The Flavor” Black-Owned Dining Passport, which features 13 restaurants. Diners…
As ICE threat scares customers, Kansas City businesses urged to ‘protect people working for you’
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. After a highly publicized raid on a Mexican restaurant in Liberty, Missouri, earlier this month, immigration advocates and attorneys are rushing…
