LaunchKC earns honors of its own, must still keep hustling, KC eco devo leader says
October 13, 2018 | Elyssa Bezner
Receiving the Bronze Excellence in Economic Development Award proves the real market value for programs like LaunchKC, said Drew Solomon.
Drew Solomon, Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City
The win has been energizing, said Solomon, senior vice president of business and job development at the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, which partners with the Downtown Council of Kansas City to make the program liftoff.
LaunchKC awards $500,000 to nine startups each year through its popular grant competition. Click here to read about this year’s winners — awarded Friday in Power & Light.
The program earned its own honor earlier this month from the International Economic Development Council, the world’s largest membership organization for economic development professionals, in Atlanta, Georgia.
“[The award is] validating, but there’s still a ton of work to do,” said Solomon. “We’ve got to keep hustling and doing all the things that we do.”
LaunchKC has awarded $1.5 million in funding to 29 startups to date, spanning a spectrum of tech-related industries, according to a press release.
“This year, our judges reviewed some extraordinary projects that advanced both communities and businesses,” said Craig Richard, 2018 IEDC board chair. “What we learn from each other helps us to grow and advance as a profession. We look forward to even greater participation from economic developers across the globe in the 2019 awards program.”
Click here to read more about how LaunchKC has impacted grant recipients.
Featured Business
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
$60K in pitch competition winnings will help Black-owned businesses drive employment, book purchases
The owner of a mobile phlebotomy company took home the $30,000 grand prize at Friday’s We Are Black pitch competition — the first such event organized by Kansas City G.I.F.T. LaVita Green said the funding and resources from G.I.F.T. will help Caresticks Mobile Phlebotomy, which provides patients with on-site and mobile phlebotomy services, to grow…
Documentaries with KC ties set for FilmFest screens: Here’s when you can see these gripping films in local theaters
Streaming services might have become the standard since the COVID-19 pandemic drove more people to entertain themselves from home, but filmmakers and film enthusiasts are encouraging the community to gather at theaters for the 27th annual Kansas City FilmFest International. “What’s so great about film festivals is that you’re able to see these films months…
Hope starts at home: Economic mobility, inclusion hinge on realities of identity, panel says
Editor’s note: The Junior League of Kansas City — through its C3KC conference — is an advertiser with Startland News. An important step in bridging the wealth gap and building equity is meeting people at their level of readiness, Terrell Jolly shared. “Because if you do not, they will inconvenience you in some kind of way and that’s the sad…
Devoured Pizza rising into brick-and-mortar space with elevated concept, revenue sharing campaign
Devoured Pizza is on a mission to change the way people eat pizza in Kansas City, Jhy Coulter said, and the community has the opportunity to get involved now more than ever. “Food in Kansas City is evolving. It’s getting better and better, and I want to be part of that. Pizza is this canvas…