KC-area startup earns spot in first-ever AWS accelerator for emerging GovTech companies
September 21, 2023 | Startland News Staff
A Lee’s Summit-based startup focused on developing tech for the criminal justice industry has been selected for Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) inaugural GovTech Accelerator cohort.
eHawk — led by co-founders Bart Cooper and Ted Green, a former bail bondsman and trial attorney — is one of 13 companies tapped for the program. The Kansas City-built technology is driven by its RePath platform, which seeks to decrease recidivism, increase operational efficiency, improve participant outcomes, and reinforce adherence to conditions in both pre-trial and post-trial supervision, showcasing a commitment to accountable practices and economical solutions.
The tool allows users to electronically supervise the criminal justice population previously omitted from any electronic monitoring platform.
As part of the four-week AWS GovTech Accelerator cohort, which begins this month, eHawk is set to receive business development resources, as well as AWS tools and technical guidance, to enhance eHawk’s mission. The program culminates with a demo day Nov. 14 at the State of GovTech conference.
The selected startups are focused on a wide range of solutions for first responders, emergency services, corrections, and other public safety agencies, according to AWS.
By leveraging AWS to develop the next generation of GovTech technology, the startups aim to address justice and public safety challenges, such as increasing community engagement, deterring crime, and reducing recidivism, said Kim Majerus, vice president of global education and U.S. state and local government at AWS.
“The AWS GovTech Accelerator was created to support the development of technologies that can address these challenges,” said Majerus. “The 13 startups selected have demonstrated a technology solution that has real-world application, and we are excited to work with them.”
Click here to learn more about the other 12 companies in the cohort, which hail from coast to coast with eHawk the sole Midwestern startup included.

2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Cannabis founder’s advice: Weed out the bad seeds; run green startups like real businesses
Cannabis might seem like it presents a Wild West frontier for entrepreneurs looking to strike green, said Michael Wilson, but would-be founders must cultivate a plan grounded in common sense — and the law. “In the industrial hemp or marijuana space, if you want to build a successful business, run it like a real damn…
Show Me Hyperloop: Missouri panel confident it can win route with $300M+ test track
If Missouri wants to win the race for a Virgin Hyperloop One route connecting Kansas City and St. Louis, the Show Me State must foot the bill for a 12- to 15-mile test track that could cost taxpayers, the state and private partners more than $300 million, according to a new report. “This initial segment…
Cyber threats and opportunities: Why did 50+ KC schoolgirls get a peek at Fishtech’s high-security campus?
You never know when an opportunity will find you, Alex Vendetti told a group of Kansas City high school girls touring the Fishtech Group cybersecurity campus. “I was a hairstylist before this,” Vendetti, a project manager at Fishtech, told groups of students making their ways through the cybersecurity startup’s sprawling Martin City facilities Friday. The…
Emoji My City launches its hometown emoji keyboard with winks to iconic Kansas City
Kansas City scenes from the Kauffman Center to 18th and Vine. Winks to local trends and celebrities. A playful push puts whimsical KC in the mobile devices of hometown fans and visitors alike. And it comes courtesy of the team that helped rebrand Kansas City’s now-iconic logo in 2013. In the age of digital marketing,…


