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LaunchKC past winners

WATCH: No reason for ‘lone wolfing’ the startup grind, LaunchKC past winners say as application window narrows

By Tommy Felts / June 28, 2018

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by LaunchKC but was independently produced by Startland News. With a July 11 application deadline nearing, LaunchKC past winners emphasized the popular, high-profile grants contest is about much more than chasing a payday. “There’s the community piece. There’s the exposure piece. But once you win — or even once…

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Mauri Trent and Joshua Clark, Accelerate Tech Learning

Accelerate Tech Learning targets the (urban) core of KC’s programmer shortage

By Tommy Felts / June 27, 2018

Training would-be programmers from Kansas City’s urban core isn’t about getting rich, said Joshua Clark, co-founder of Accelerate Tech Learning. But unfortunately that means it can be tricky to get underestimated students the costly education to become a certified developer in the world of information technology, added Mauri Trent, Accelerate Tech’s executive vice president of…

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With Hy-vee Arena, KC Star project, southward expansion, KC Crew plans to double its players

By Tommy Felts / June 27, 2018

Where KC Crew plays, growth and development follow, said founder Luke Wade. The adult sports and event company filled Kansas City’s Parade Park every night before the Urban Youth Academy broke ground on East 17th Terrace, for example, Wade said. “So it’s kind of that economic development. The same thing happened with the riverfront when…

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CAPS Network

CAPS leader Corey Mohn: Remaking education starts with experiential learning

By Tommy Felts / June 26, 2018

The Center for Advanced Professional Studies model was a solution to a single school district’s senioritis problem. Blue Valley Schools created CAPS and launched a small cohort of early-adopter students into this new program in 2009. Taking the chance that students would be responsible, professional and innovative when given freedom, CAPS connected students directly to…

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Mycroft AI

Mycroft hopes to build community of investment backers with new online public offering

By Tommy Felts / June 25, 2018

Adding to its array of successful crowdfunding efforts, Mycroft AI recently launched an online public offering that’s generating significant financial support for the startup. Thanks to 2016 changes to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s equity crowdfunding regulations, the Kansas City-based tech startup’s OPO has already amassed more than $173,000 of its $1.07 million funding goal.…

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Project United Knowledge

Project UK’s teen bootcamp turns problems into pitches, founders say

By Tommy Felts / June 25, 2018

Giving teens the freedom to solve problems can be transformational, said Rebecca Dove. “It is believed that this generation will be more entrepreneurial-minded and want to have more freedom in their careers,” said Dove, co-founder of Project United Knowledge, which last week debuted its first Entrepreneurial Bootcamp. “So we’re just trying to rip out a…

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Ruby Jean's YMCA Kitchen & Juicery

Boosted by Troost, Ruby Jean’s pressing ahead with YMCA, grocery, Atlanta deals

By Tommy Felts / June 23, 2018

It’s Troost location will be a model for Ruby Jean’s expansion, said Chris Goode, but the juicery’s growth won’t be limited to standalone, brick-and-mortar sites. “Ideally, the way we truly scale is our wholesale model,” said Goode, founder of the health and fitness-focused Kansas City-born business. “I’m in talks right now, trying to get it…

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Ryan Stock, MindSport

MindSport drives down the court with mindfulness and meditation app for athletes

By Tommy Felts / June 23, 2018

Pressure doesn’t equal present, said Ryan Stock. Modern lifestyles that emphasize always being on-the-go only contribute to stress and anxiety, the MindSport founder added. “No matter what industry you’re in … it’s just part of Western culture,” he said. “I think it’s magnified in athletics because there’s so much pressure, because there’s so much money.”…

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Edison Spaces launching second location focused on flexible offices for startups

By Tommy Felts / June 22, 2018

Edison Spaces, a firm that offers flexible, private offices to entrepreneurs and small businesses, plans to open its second Johnson County location this summer. Focused on offering short-term lease options, Edison Spaces is launching its second locale in August at 7900 College Boulevard, on the corner of College and Metcalf. Owned by Kansas City entrepreneurs…

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Sandy Kemper, C2FO, Innovation Exchange

Sandy Kemper at IXKC: Trust is the hack for building FinTech or any startup in KC (Photos)

By Tommy Felts / June 20, 2018

Act like everyone is watching … because they are, Sandy Kemper said. “It’s something I think a lot of folks — maybe not from around here — fail to understand,” the C2FO chairman and CEO told a packed crowd Tuesday at Startland’s Innovation Exchange at nbkc bank. “You cannot get away with anything. And some…

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