No Coast winners: Two rapidly growing KC tech startups championed
March 9, 2019 | Tommy Felts
Tech leadership and innovation know No Coast, said Ryan Weber Friday night as the KC Tech Council revealed its inaugural award show honorees.
The Abbott
Beneath the glittering chandeliers of the Abbott luxury event space — and surrounded by elaborate set pieces and balloon art — Weber and the KC Tech Council team announced winners in four No Coast categories that enveloped industry, policy and workforce.
Startup faces taking home prizes included a Martin City-headquartered cyber security powerhouse, Fishtech Group, and the driving force behind Merriam-based sports tech firm, ShotTracker.
Click here to learn about how Fishtech is securing its place in a threat-filled market.
Click here for more on why ShotTracker was selected as one of Startland’s Startups to Watch in 2019.
“The story of Kansas City’s tech industry is being written at a rapid pace,” said Karen Hornig, CEO of KC-based insurance information tech services firm NIPR, introducing the Outstanding Contribution to Tech Award. “The story of the region’s future as a technology hub will be written by many of the people and organizations in this room.”
Danielle Feinberg, Pixar Animation Studios
Friday’s family-focused No Coast celebration featured a number of youth award presenters, as well as a lively crowd of children in the audience. Fittingly, a keynote illuminated by Danielle Feinberg, a director of photography at Pixar Animation Studios, focused heavily on Feinberg’s experience working on such hit family films as “Wall-E” and “Coco.”
Loving that the @KCTechCouncil has embraced #InternationalWomensDay throughout their #nocoast19 event, featuring a female speaker, engaging women and girls, and making the event explicitly kid-friendly. And also, not pink. Tech event organizers, take note. #startupkc #techkc pic.twitter.com/WzsuvQ0heN
— Melissa Roberts (@msmeliss2024) March 9, 2019
“We hope to make our attendees feel comfortable to bring kids, nieces, nephews, you name it, because there’s going to be a great opportunity for them to experience the tech that’s created in Kansas City and be inspired,” Weber said before the event, which began with an interactive tech showcase featuring such KC companies as Dimensional Innovations, Garmin, VMLY&R, WeWork and Fishtech Group.
No Coast award winners included:
Outstanding Contribution to Tech
(Finalists: Alphapointe; and Stackify)
Kara Lowe, KC Tech Council; Jennie Hanna and Valerie Sablin, Fishtech Group
Tech Connector of the Year
Davyeon Ross, co-founder and COO, ShotTracker
(Finalists: Greg Kratofil, managing partner, Polsinelli; and Matt Watson, founder, Stackify)
Ryan Weber, KC Tech Council; Ryder Jarrett, student intern; Jeff Portsche, Garmin; and Davyeon Ross, ShotTracker
Tech Champion of the Year
Brian Baker, lead government strategist, Cerner
(Finalists: Bob Bennett, chief innovation officer, City of KCMO; and Travis Fitzwater, member, Missouri House of Representatives)
Brian Baker, Cerner
Tech Educator of the Year
Jill Riffer, Blue Valley CAPS
(Finalists: Kevin Clevenger, Blue Springs School District; and Lisa Oyler, Summit Technology Academy)
Antonio Linhart, student; Jill Riffer, Blue Valley CAPS; and Ryan Weber, KC Tech Council
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Davids’ effort to level the playing field for Native entrepreneurs passes US House, moving to Senate
Legislation meant to address entrepreneurship challenges specific to Native and tribal business owners advanced in the U.S. Congress this week, with a Kansas City lawmaker championing the effort to bring equity to an overlooked corner of the small business community. “In Indian Country, Native-owned businesses employ over 300,000 Americans and are vital drivers of our…
KC Tech Council launches initiative for young women in tech, backed by Meta, Panasonic
A new strategic program from the KC Tech Council is designed to empower and equip female-identifying students entering their junior (class of 2026) and senior (class of 2025) years of high school with tech exposure, career guidance, leadership opportunities, and invaluable mentorship. The LEGiT KC program (Leadership and Empowerment for Girls in Tech), sponsored by…
Charlie Hustle popup coming to Power & Light in time for Big 12 (and 300,000 visitors)
A highly visible storefront along the KC Streetcar line is expected to give homegrown apparel brand Charlie Hustle a prime spot to showcase KC Heart for hundreds of thousands of potential shoppers during the coming Big 12 basketball tournament. The game day merch shop and experiential retail concept is expected to open Thursday, March 7…
DivvyHQ exits: They built this KC startup brick-by-brick, now it fits within a bigger story
A Kansas City marketing tech startup’s acquisition by Lytho, a leading creative project management platform, is built upon the two brands’ complementary company ideologies and tech, said Brock Stechman. “We’re seeing a lot of consolidation in our market, and this was an opportunity where we could collaborate and come together seamlessly with a single, specialized,…