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
As healthcare pivots to value based service, Helix Health uses data analytics to reduce costs
Prevention is cheaper than cure — a sentiment forming the foundation of Helix Health, said Anurag Patel. “The business of healthcare today is that if you’re sick, then you’re a customer of healthcare. If you’re healthy, then you’re not,” Patel said, describing a need for creating a business model that helps people stay healthy. Helix Health…
Watch: Tigersheep Friends creators build a ferociously off-beat, under-the-radar KC brand
From three-eyed leopards to strawberry cream giraffes, the creative minds behind Tigersheep Friends love illustrating off-beat versions of animals to keep their artistic passions alive, said Sarah Walsh. When the husband-and-wife duo started the company in 2011, they were looking for an alternate creative outlet, said Sarah Walsh, co-founder of the online product line. Click…
PayIt hires former Uber disruptive marketing leader as KC govtech startup’s first CMO
Kansas City-based govtech startup PayIt is downloading executive expertise from the West Coast, John Thomson said Tuesday, announcing PayIt’s first chief marketing officer — a former leader at Uber. Based in San Francisco, Alexandru Otrezov will lead PayIt’s marketing organization and continue to accelerate the company’s brand and growth efforts, said Thomson, co-founder and CEO…
Victor Hwang leaving Kauffman VP role; entrepreneurship becomes national priority ahead of 2020 political cycle
Ecosystem building has risen to the national conversation — marking the right moment for Victor Hwang to exit the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and its vision-rich entrepreneurship team, he said. “A few years ago, people would talk about supporting entrepreneurs as if they were disconnected individuals … helping one entrepreneur at a time or maybe…