Go Topeka launches ‘Kansas Innovation Dealroom’ to track startup ecosystem growth

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WICHITA — A growing startup ecosystem in Topeka will be tracked as it flourishes, GO Topeka announced Wednesday, marking a pivotal moment in the city’s commitment to entrepreneurship and dedication to setting an example for peer cities. 

Kansas Innovation Dealroom — a digital platform that can track startup activity and provide access to company information and ecosystem metrics — launched in tandem with the announcement. Dealroom will initially collect and provide data and content on ecosystem growth in the greater Topeka area, GO Topeka explained in a release. 

“We are eager to take advantage of Kansas Innovation Dealroom to better support and promote our ecosystem and engage with our existing and potential stakeholders,” said Laurie Pieper, vice president of entrepreneurship and small business for GO Topeka. 

“Tech startups are a major driver for new-jobs growth and importation of capital, as well as for enhancing our region’s ability to be competitive in the global marketplace.”

The platform is set to launch in Manhattan later this summer in partnership with the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce and K-State Innovation Partner. 

“We are delighted to be joining GO Topeka in the launch of Kansas Innovation Dealroom because we see this as a much-needed toolkit for enabling us to have better connectivity with startups and scaleups interested in growing in our community, and for helping connect them with potential investors from around the globe,” said Daryn Soldan, economic development director for the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce.

Dealroom is eventually expected to span all of northeast Kansas, the partners said. 

“There is tremendous potential for innovation and technology launches in northeast Kansas,” added Kent Glasscock, president of K-State Innovation Partners. 

“Regional efforts to connect with startups — and to make connections for them — are vital for giving the area a prominent place on the map of communities supporting high-growth-potential startups. K-State is excited to see the evolving partnership behind the Kansas Innovation Dealroom launch.”

Click here to explore Kansas Innovation Dealroom and to learn more about Topeka’s entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem.  

Dealroom is designed to support scaling tech communities through its reliable intelligence and novel insights, the company said. It is expected to offer the most insightful and complex picture to date of the tech ecosystem evolution in northeast Kansas by exposing communities to trends in the region, providing transparency related to funding and funding opportunities, and offering up publicly accessible data on startups, scale-ups and corporate entities throughout the region.

Click here to learn more about plans for Topeka’s ASTRA innovation district.

This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.

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