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
OP prescription software firm lands $2.7M
An Overland Park software company recently wrapped up a hefty funding round, according to its founder and CEO. Rx Savings Solutions, a business that works with other companies to manage employees’ monthly medications, secured $2.7 million in funding. Kansas City investors Dan Henry, CEO of NetSpend Corp., and Jeffrey Brown, chairman at StoreFinancial, led the…
LaunchKC winners reflect on ‘massive opportunity’
Once the dust settled on the LaunchKC grant recipient announcement, the champagne bottles popped. Founders from the 10 winning companies — parred down from a list of 500 — had reason to celebrate Friday afternoon between the promise of $50,000 and the chance to land some office space. Of the 10 recipient companies, six come…
Set your watch: 90 seconds with local innovators, entrepreneurs
It’s coming! Set your watch as we team up with FlatlandKC to highlight Kansas City’s innovators and entrepreneurs, all in 90 seconds. “90 on the Clock” premieres Wednesday, Sept. 23, with Callie England, founder of Rawxies, as she talks about her East Bottoms business and its raw, vegan, and gluten- and soy-free treats. The five-part series continues each Wednesday as the 90-second…
Meet the 10 startup winners of LaunchKC’s $50K
LaunchKC announced the winners of 10, $50,000 grants Friday during a celebration at the inaugural Techweek Kansas City conference. More than 40 judges evaluated pitches from 20 contest finalists, who pitched their companies Friday morning at Union Station before a crowd of about 100 people. LaunchKC kicked off in February and nabbed nearly 500 total applicants…