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
Faith and Freedom Hoops: Startup founder bringing Big 12 alternative to Hy-Vee Arena
As bright LED lights flickered on Mitch Case, he looked up at the empty seats in a quiet Hy-Vee arena. “We have reached out to over 60 kids this year,” Case, a sales engineer at Midwest Machinery and co-founder of Mommy Meals, said of preparations for the KC Hoops Shootout — a first run fundraiser…
Open letter to KCMO: Entrepreneur community makes 0.1 percent budget ask ‘for backbone of our economy’
Editor’s note: The following open letter was produced independently of Startland News by a coalition of small business and entrepreneur support leaders and signed by more than 210 members of Kansas City’s startup and business community. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the authors’ alone. The signatories are provided courtesy of the authors. Mayor Quinton…
Already managing $25M in user debt, KC fintech startup Destiny banks on New York accelerator
Newly launched accelerator programming could help Kansas City-based Destiny Wealth secure customers and funding as the startup makes key pivots. “This accelerator gives us a brand new network,” said Parker Graham, Destiny co-founder and CEO. Part of the newly launched fintech track of the Nex Cubed Accelerator, Graham and Destiny will spend 16 weeks immersed…
Fearing coronavirus? Don’t count out flu season — especially in these 10 ‘sickest’ cities
Expecting a respite from flu-like symptoms and respiratory illness as warm weather approaches? Don’t let your guard down just yet, Kansas City-based Sickweather said Thursday, issuing a “troubling” forecast for cities across the U.S. “Sickweather’s prediction for a prolonged season of flu-like illness is historic because it represents a stark contrast to the notion that…