KCMO to celebrate innovation partners at demo day
August 22, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Since the publish date on Aug. 22, the location of the Innovation Partnership Program demo day has been changed. It will now be held at WeWork at Corrigan Station at 5:00 p.m.
Five Kansas City startups are expected to be toasted next month with a demo day at a popular brewery.
The Sept. 11 celebration serves as the culmination of Kansas City’s three-month Innovation Partnership Program.
Launched in 2015, the partnership program connects area startups with city departments to not only identify new efficiencies, but also offer the participating startup firms a chance to earn business with the city.
The demo day event, now in its second year, is planned for 4:30 p.m. at the Boulevard Brewing Co. Beer Hall before the 7 p.m. official Techweek KC kickoff party, presented by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City. Techweek is an annual technology conference organized across multiple Kansas City locations from Sept. 11 to 15.
Demo day itself will be a good time, said Bob Bennett, chief innovation officer for Kansas City, Missouri, but encouraged people to stick around for the festivities that follow.
“For those of you trying to get to the kickoff party a little early, you’re in luck,” Bennett said. “You’re going to get a chance to meet the five entrepreneurs who have been interacting with our city government for the last 12 weeks and hear their pitches.”
City Manager Troy Schulte will begin the event by discussing the success of such previous innovation partners as Big Bang, Integrated Roadways and SpiderOak, Bennett said. Mayor Sly James is also expected to be on hand, he said.
To register for the free event and for more information, click here.
Here’s more on the innovation partners presenting at the demo day:
Company: KC Crew, founder Luke Wade
Partner city department: Parks & Rec
KC Crew was developed to connect adults through sports and events. Its software tool, League Ally, was designed to automate sports leagues and connect individuals through sports.
Company: mySidewalk, CEO Stephen Hardy
Partner city department: Office of Performance Management
mySidewalk is a city intelligence tool that tracks, analyzes and communicates progress on department and citywide goals. For the 2017 Innovation Partnership Program Cohort, mySidewalk focuses on helping the City of Kansas City streamline its process for reporting on key performance indicators, and amplify its analytic capabilities, particularly from a geospatial perspective, the company said.
Company: 17°73° Innovation Co, founder Conner Hazelrigg
Partner city department: Office of the City Manager
17°73° Innovation Co developed the Sunshine Box, which is designed specifically to narrow the gap between “mobile-first” technology users and access to reliable electricity. The system supports charging 10 devices, is portable and waterproof.
Company: MPiR, CEO Scott Smith
Partner city department: Parks & Rec and City Planning
MPiR is an urban farming business that provides fresh and organic produce to feed communities using repurposed shipping containers equipped with the latest technology.
Company: Onward Financial, co-founders Ben White and Ronnie Washington
Partner city department: Kansas City Credit Union
Onward Financial is a nonprofit financial wellness platform that helps working people build a financial safety net. As part of the IPP, Onward aims to work with Kansas City Credit Union to deliver innovative resources to help their members reach financial goals.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Mycroft hits crowdfunding goal in hours, raises $400K for Mark II
Mycroft’s Mark II crowdfunding campaign raised eight times its goal — and the tech firm is still counting. The Kansas City-based startup set out to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter and garner support from early adopters for its voice assistant product Mark II — similar to Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana. Mycroft “blew through”…
Negro leagues’ only three women players inspire ‘Beauty of the Game’ by KC designer Cherry
Toni Stone, Connie Morgan and Mamie Johnson — the only three women to play in the Negro baseball leagues — remain an inspiration to female entrepreneurs in male-dominated industries some 50 years later, said Thalia Cherry. “It’s still important for us to carve out a great space for ourselves, a great niche, and do the…
Ranking: KC defies gender pay gap, again earns No. 2 for Women in Tech
Second only to Washington, D.C., in a new national ranking, Kansas City boasts a noteworthy statistic: Women in tech jobs are paid, on average, 2 percent more than their male counterparts. It’s the fourth consecutive year Kansas City has earned a No. 2 on the list of the Best Cities for Women in Tech. But…
Operation Breakthrough expansion helps give every child a chance, Mayor Sly James says
It’s the beginning of a new chapter for Operation Breakthrough, said Kansas City Mayor Sly James. The mayor joined a packed crowd of supporters on an icy Thursday morning to share the Kansas City-based organization’s formal announcement of its $17 million capital campaign and expansion project. The effort — dubbed “Big Dreams, Bright Futures” —…