Meet the No Coast winners: Homebase founder, Garmin lead 2020 KC tech honors
September 16, 2020 | Startland News Staff
Tech is a team sport — a reality undefeated by COVID-19, the KC Tech Council said Wednesday, capping a two-day virtual No Coast ceremony that recognized the interconnectedness of Kansas City’s tech community with entrepreneurship, corporate innovation, education and policy.
Among the first winners unveiled: veteran startup founder and CEO Blake Miller, whose Homebase.ai employs 25 full-time and 10 part-time workers — posting 600-percent two-year average annual growth and earning a spot on Startland News’ 2020 list of Kansas City’s Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies.
Miller was honored with the No Coast Tech Connector of the Year Award.
“What sounds like an individual award to me is anything but, and with the isolation that everyone has experienced this year, I hope this moment in time really serves as an inspiration that a growth mindset and being connected with one another really will grow the pie for all of us, especially here in Kansas City,” Miller said, expressing gratitude on behalf of his team.
Click here to learn more about why Homebase, a smart living platform, was selected as one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2019.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the tech industry has validated its importance to Kansas City’s regional economy, said Ryan Weber, KC Tech Council president, and has demonstrated the resilience necessary to face today’s challenges.
“We would love to celebrate technology and a great industry supporting Kansas City in person,” Weber said in a kick-off video for No Coast. “But of course it’s 2020 things are different. Things have changed.”
For 2020, award winners were revealed not in gala setting, but via a series of video announcements featuring Cameos by such celebrities as former Chiefs guard Will Shields; singer-songwriter Melissa Ethridge; “The Office” actor Oscar Nuñez; and LeVar Burton, star of “Reading Rainbow,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Roots.”
No Coast award winners and finalists included:
Tech Connector of the Year
- Blake Miller — CEO of Homebase.ai (winner)
- Ed Lada — president and CEO of Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (finalist)
- Dale Werts — partner, Lathrop GPM LLP (finalist)
Kathy Busch, Kansas State Board of Education
Tech Champion of the Year
- Kathy Busch — chair, Kansas State Board of Education (winner)
- Ed Lada — president and CEO of Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (finalist)
- Elijah Haahr — speaker of the House, Missouri House of Representatives (finalist)
Outstanding Contribution to Tech
- Garmin (winner)
- Cobalt Iron (finalist)
- MSTS (finalist)
Jenna Beckett, Centriq Training
Tech Educator of the Year
- Jenna Beckett — Centriq Training (winner)
- Frank Pflumm — Centriq Training (finalist)
- Scott Bromander — Prime Digital Academy (finalist)
The No Coast festivities also featured keynote remarks from Ann Gaffigan, director of technology operations at Dimensional Innovations, and Kristen Hammer, business development manager at Virgin Hyperloop.
Click here to watch Tuesday’s keynote presentations.
KC Tech Council’s No Coast festivities included an additional nod to the resilience of the local tech community amid COVID-19 challenges. Watch the video salute below.
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Federal ban on noncompetes would ‘unleash’ entrepreneurs, open door to more startups, advocate says
A proposed rule change that would stop employers from imposing and enforcing contract clauses to limit their workers’ ability to change jobs within their fields is being hailed as a “vital step on the path to expanding economic growth in the United States,” according to one Kansas City-based advocate for entrepreneurs. Earlier this month, the…
Ice Cream Bae returns to the Country Club Plaza with its own storefront, more flavors
Adison and Jackie Sichampanakhone have a soft spot for the Country Club Plaza, they shared. It’s where the journey with their soft-serve ice cream shop began. “We’re excited to be back. We had so many great customers down here before, so we’re happy to be able to serve them again,” said Adison, who co-founded Ice…
UMKC receives $12.97M grant from Kauffman Foundation to boost barrier breaking across KC region, beyond
Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. New grant provides support to continue and expand entrepreneurship programs on the UMKC campus and across the Kansas City region The University of Missouri-Kansas City has received a historic, five-year, $12.97 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation…
This 11-year-old’s lemonade sells out in hours at Hy-Vee; Here’s how he hopes to extend the shelf life of his young family business
The all-natural, fresh-squeezed lemonade made by 11-year-old Tre Glasper and his family in a Manhattan commercial kitchen is making its way to Kansas City thanks to a tart partnership with one of the Midwest’s leading grocery chains. Tre typically sells about 100 bottles of Tre’s Squeeze — an amount that takes two to three hours…