Techstars Kansas City accepting startups for second accelerator class
January 26, 2018 | Startland News Staff
One of the Midwest’s most competitive accelerator programs is looking for technology enabled startups with global potential.
Techstars Kansas City is now accepting applications for its three-month, mentor-led 2018 class. The program is set to begin July 16, culminating with an Oct. 11 demo day event in which participating startups will pitch to the community and investors. Applications close April 8.
“The goal of Techstars is identifying first-in-class tech companies,” said Lesa Mitchell, Techstars KC managing director, in July 2017, when the inaugural class was announced. “We always have a goal of identifying companies that have a serious long tail and have a huge opportunity with lots of different products down the roadway.”
In exchange for 6 percent equity, Techstars KC startups receive $120,000, participation in the accelerator program and access to Techstars’ global network of alumni and mentors.
“In the heartland of the U.S., Techstars Kansas City is building new global companies. Home to one of the largest Design + Build, Agriculture and Animal Health hubs in the world, Kansas City is fast becoming a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship,” Techstars says in its application.
The inaugural Techstars KC class was a diverse hodgepodge of industries, including ed tech, artificial intelligence, law, virtual reality, food and more. Mitchell also pulled the firms from a variety of U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Austin, Phoenix, Wichita, Kansas City and more.
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Techstars is a global accelerator firm with 32 programs across the globe, in such cities as Los Angeles, New York City, London and Paris. (Applications to many of those programs also now are open.) Kansas City is the second smallest city in which the accelerator firm operates after Boulder.
Check out scenes from Techstars Kansas City’s 2017 demo day here.
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kansas artist carves Kamala Harris’ portrait into a field — and left room for her VP pick
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. World-renowned crop artist Stan Herd is almost finished with the portrait of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee outside Lawrence, Kansas, near…
Tesseract cultivates military drone tech for ag use; targeting American farmer impact
A new vertical for Overland Park-based Tesseract Ventures opens a new crop of opportunity as the cutting-edge company retools its military tech and specialized robotics platform for additional use in the precision agricultural sector. “This technology is a game-changer for U.S. farmers, providing technological advantages previously unavailable on a single platform,” said John Boucard, CEO…
Inside ProX’s hands-on, how-to guide for students entering the workforce (and the business payoff)
When ProX is at its best, the collaborative internship program provides as much value to Kansas City employers as it does to the high school students who’ve invested prime summer vacation time into the real-world learning opportunity, business owners said. “The students did a really good job, it’s like getting a free consultation from a…
Royals give go-ahead to face-scan ballpark entry; here’s how to get in with one look
The Kansas City Royals are stepping up to the plate with a walk-off upgrade to the ballpark entry process: MLB’s Go-Ahead Entry system. The technology uses facial authentication to let fans breeze into Kauffman Stadium without having to scan their mobile tickets. MLB launched its pilot program with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023; now the…