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
Crossroads neighbors’ limited-release holiday brew bottled after three years in the barrel
When 400 bottles of Lifted Spirits’ Straight Wheat Whiskey — created using a coffee wheat stout from its Crossroads neighbor Torn Label — went on sale to the public Wednesday, the distillery-brewery mashup’s potential was finally tapped, said Michael Stuckey. “This partnership with Torn Label is a unique collaboration that demonstrates the creative, artistic nature…
KC software team of three builds $3.5M insurance risk management app from scratch
A New York-based insurance management startup recently closed a $3.5 million funding round for its new end-to-end platform — an application built entirely by Kansas City software developer Binary Noggin. billy, a construction-specific insurance management and tracking application headquartered in Brooklyn, sought out Binary Noggin’s services early this year for developing its software. The startup…
Former Google, Uber exec joins maker of Pokémon Go — and he’s building a team of developers in Lawrence
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. Brian…
For the good of the hive: KC pediatrician builds buzz with award-winning urban bee farm effort
No one is more surprised by pediatrician Marion Pierson’s newfound career success as a beekeeper and advocate for urban apiaries, the Prairie Village doctor said. “I didn’t know this would happen,” Pierson said. “In fact, I’m scared of bugs. My husband asked me how I was going to start a bee farm. When I’m in…