Bringing high-speed travel ‘to the people’: Hyperloop One sets Kansas City arrival date
July 31, 2019 | Startland News Staff
Long Awaited, Virgin Hyperloop One will finally cruise into Kansas City … just not permanently — at least not yet, the company announced Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of Hyperloop One
“When government and investor delegations come to our test site, seeing the technology makes it real for them,” Jay Walder, CEO of Virgin Hyperloop One, said in a release.
“Not everyone can come to the Nevada desert, so we’re bringing our technology to the people — the American people who will be riding this new form of transportation within a decade,” he added.
With the announcement, Hyperloop One formally launched its U.S. Roadshow, which will put its XP-1 hyperloop pod on public display in cities across the country, the company explained.
Kansas Citians will have an opportunity to investigate the pod Sept. 14 during the American Royal BBQ at the Kansas Speedway.
“There has been so much excitement and interest in this technology, and we know the Kansas City tech community and general public will be receptive to the demonstration and learning more details,” said Ryan Weber, president of the KC Tech Council.
During an April visit to the metro, Walder revealed Missouri was a serious contender in the fight to house Hyperloop One.
“What if I told you that I’ve been CEO of Virgin Hyperloop One for five months and this is the first trip I’ve taken to a state where there has been [a feasibility study conducted]?” Walder told a crowd gathered for a KC Tech Council discussion about the future of Hyperloop One.
“I think that’s a vote of confidence,” he quipped.
Click here to find out what three words Walder has for Kansas Citians hungry for Hyperloop.
XP-1 will be on display in Columbus, Ohio and Arlington, Texas before its arrival in Kansas City.
Stops at diners, hotels, museums, parks, state houses, and stadiums are planned along the pods 4,000 mile route across the country, the company said.
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Garmin CEO reveals startup origins, tech hiring challenges, culture of innovation
It began like any other startup, said Clifton Pemble, Garmin’s sixth employee and now CEO of the $11 billion GPS tech firm. “I joined Garmin and it was literally just days later that we were gathered in a little place over at 95th and Pflumm — two rooms in a small strip mall kind of…
1 Million Cups wraps month-long black entrepreneur showcase
Celebrating differences strengthens everyone, a white 1 Million Cups volunteer told a room full of black entrepreneurs and business owners Wednesday evening. “Diversity and inclusion are important to us year-round here at 1 Million Cups,” said Kyle Smith, communications coordinator at KCSourceLink and a 1MC Kansas City community organizer. “And I am very well aware…
C2FO raises massive $100M round for global expansion
In what is believed to be the largest venture-backed funding round in the Kansas City area’s history, C2FO is lighting the fuse on its global expansion with a $100 million capital raise. The Leawood-based financial tech firm’s round was led by Munich-based Allianz X and Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Investment Company, and included participation from Temasek,…
Techweek KC returning with big LaunchKC, Techstars, BetaBlox demo days
One of Kansas City’s biggest conference series for entrepreneurs is returning in October alongside some of KC’s most premier accelerator programs, said Amanda Signorelli, CEO of Techweek KC. Demo days for Techstars KC and BetaBlox will join LaunchKC as signature events during the Oct. 8-12 conference, she said. “Combined with the nationally recognized LaunchKC competition…