Techweek opens Monday with KC Mayoral Candidate Tech Forum; launches app with full schedule
October 2, 2018 | Austin Barnes
Candidates to be Kansas City’s next mayor will take the stage Monday at Union Station in one of Techweek KC’s first events of 2018 to talk tech and its importance in shaping the city’s future, said Ryan Weber.
“We’re still a long way from the [April 2] primary election, but this forum will help voters be more educated about the various candidates, their experience, credentials, and vision for the future of KCMO as a whole,” said Weber, president of the KC Tech Council.
Ryan Weber, KC Tech Council
Announced candidates appearing Monday at Techweek KC include Alissia Canady, Jermaine Reed, Phil Glynn, Quinton Lucas, Steve Miller, Scott Taylor, and Scott Wagner.
The forum does not include front-runner and former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, who announced Tuesday in a Facebook that he was dropping out of the race because of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms.
With nearly 100,000 tech jobs across the metro, the tech-focused forum is a can’t-miss for curious citizens who have questions about the city’s digital evolution, Weber said.
“[The tech space] lifts an economy, employs workers, and accelerates development,” he said. “We hope every candidate has a strategy to enable this growth.”
The KC Tech Council hopes each candidate has a tech-focused strategy prepared for the city, if they are elected come the June 25, 2019, general election, Weber said.
Adding the mayoral forum to a full Techweek KC schedule — which was released Monday and can be accessed using the Attendify app — is one of the dozens of ways the 2018 event is diverging from previous incarnations of Techweek KC.
Weber is expecting a conversation Monday that’s both lively and informative, he said.
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
DivvyHQ founders named finalists for prestigious EY Award
The two men leading the fast-growing tech startup DivvyHQ have been named finalists for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Award in the Central Midwest. DivvyHQ co-founders Brody Dorland and Brock Stechman both were named finalists for the award on Thursday, lending credence to the duo’s tech. DivvyHQ created a planning and collaboration platform…
Effort hopes to rebuild eastern KC neighborhood by reviving jazz roots
Since the 1920s, jazz has built a reputation for Kansas City. About 90 years later, a local organization is hoping the power of jazz can rebuild Kansas City. Led by co-founders and spouses Daniel and Ebony Edwards, KC Jazz LP is working to establish Kansas City as the jazz recording capital of the world while…
After St. Joseph tech firm acquisition, Online Tech expands to KC
Ann Arbor-based Online Tech has acquired a St. Joseph, Mo. cloud firm, paving the way for its expansion into Kansas City. The cloud security company announced Thursday that it purchased St. Joseph-based Echo Cloud, which provides colocation and cloud hosting services. Echo Cloud CEO Bill Severn said he’s pleased to be joining the Online Tech…
Before and after: Tour progress at KC’s massive coworking campus, Westport Commons
Launched in 2015, Plexpod Westport Commons recently opened its doors after completing phase one of the project to revamp a middle school to become a coworking campus. Opened in April, the 160,000 square-foot, formerly vacant Westport Middle School has new life as a huge coworking space that will house more than 500 people and dozens…