Startups to Watch, Innovation Exchange returning; Startland News announces 2020 events calendar
December 17, 2019 | Startland News Staff
Startland News’ most popular annual and monthly events are set to return in 2020, Austin Barnes said Tuesday, releasing a full calendar of events for the new year.
Austin Barnes, Startland News, Innovation Exchange
“In the last six months of 2019, Innovation Exchange drew its biggest crowds since its return from hiatus in March 2018,” said Barnes, programming director for Startland News. “We’ve really found our footing and it’s fun to see these events evolve from a casual happy hour to a learning experience where guests are coming armed with questions and eagerly taking notes.”
Event-goers can expect the monthly series to showcase startup leaders and specific ecosystem topics on the third Thursday of each month, beginning in February.
But first: the hotly-anticipated celebration of companies on Startland News’ list of Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2020.
The list itself is expected to be announced in mid January. Click here to check out the list of Startups to Watch in 2019.
“The Startland News team is excited to build on this momentum and continue finding new and engaging ways to shed light on topics that matter to founders, ecosystem builders and startup champions alike,” Barnes said.
Key dates
- Jan. 30 — Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2020 Celebration
- Feb. 20— Innovation Exchange
- March 19 — Innovation Exchange
- April 16 — Innovation Exchange
- May 21 — Innovation Exchange
- June 18 — Innovation Exchange
- July 16 — Innovation Exchange
- Aug. 20 — Innovation Exchange
- Aug. 27 — Kansas City’s Top VC-Backed Companies Celebration
- Sept. 27 — Innovation Exchange
- Oct. 15 — Innovation Exchange
- Nov. 19 — Innovation Exchange
- Dec. 17 — Innovation Exchange
Also on the calendar: Startland News’ parent organization, STARTLAND, plans to bring back experiences like Startup Crawl KC on June 5 and its Back2KC talent recruitment program Oct. 1-2.
Check out photos below from Startland News’ most recent Innovation Exchange — “KC Mythbusters: Figuring Out Fintech” at event partner C2FO’s Leawood offices. The Mythbusters panel — moderated by Eric Jorgenson, director of Growth at Zaarly — featured Chris Atkins, vice president of capital finance, C2FO; Maranda Manning, investor, Firebrand Ventures; Megan Darnell, program manager, Fountain City Fintech; and Zach Anderson Pettet, managing director, Fountain City Fintech.
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC, Chattanooga tap into gigabit speeds for film contest
Ready your cameras, Kansas City. You’re serving as lead videographer in a community film contest that engages creative types and leverages the area’s high-speed, gigabit Internet. Kansas City has partnered with the City of Chattanooga, Tenn., for the “Capture: A Community Filmmaking Project,” a 48-hour project calling on citizens and film professionals to create short,…
Digital Sandbox welcomes six new startups
Digital Sandbox KC recently accepted six area companies into its incubator program that assists businesses with specific projects. The organization, whose mission is to develop businesses and help them secure additional funding, welcomed companies ranging from food service and technology to education and health. Digital Sandbox invests up to $25,000 in its program’s companies. “The…
Reboot U revives tech talent for KC startup
A growing event photography company in Kansas City is looking to the past to find the tech talent it needs to build its future. SportsPhotos.com founder Brandon Schatz is a small-business participant in the Full Employment Council’s “Reboot U” program, which provides technology training for the chronically unemployed. Schatz’s company manages photos for sporting events,…