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When Lesa Mitchell first learned she’d be managing director of the inaugural Techstars KC program, she thought to herself, “Wow, I’m going to have the most inclusive program in the world,” she said Thursday at the program’s demo day event. As it turns out, diversity and inclusion can be difficult to apply — even with…
Read More >Traction, new pilot tests and funding rounds were among the milestones met and revealed by a handful of Techstars KC startups at the accelerator’s inaugural demo day celebration. The 2017 Techstars KC class features a variety of industries — from edtech and artificial intelligence to virtual reality and food. Five of the 10 companies hail from…
Read More >Correction: An earlier version of this story used an incorrect figure for Kansas City streetcar ridership. It has since been corrected to reflect the system’s more than 3 million riders. Kansas City wants Amazon. But does the online retail giant want KC? With only a few days remaining before the deadline to submit proposals for…
Read More >It’s easy to form an idea. It’s more difficult to take it to market. The Missouri Tech Corporation’s IDEA Funds seek to facilitate the commercialization process for high-tech Missouri technologies, via a variety of co-investment opportunities. The IDEA Funds divide financing into four components that correspond to four stages of growth for entrepreneurs, from pre-investment…
Read More >The request for proposal can wait. Kansas City Mayor Sly James is delivering Amazon 1,000 reasons to build its second headquarters in the City of Fountains via a host of product reviews on the online retailer’s site. A label maker, flashlight and fishing net were among the items James reviewed to promote various aspects of…
Read More >Society must empower women in the face of harassment, Elizabeth Loboa said. “Sexual harassment is not something that happens just because you’re good at your job,” said Loboa, dean and professor of Bioengineering at the University of Missouri. “It happens at all levels and at all ages. It happens to our female students across this…
Read More >An enigmatic message from Kansas City Mayor Sly James is stoking intrigue regarding the area effort to land Amazon’s second headquarters. At about 7 a.m. Wednesday, James tweeted, “I’ve been busy online shopping. Find out why at 3 p.m.” The message included a photo of James surrounded by Amazon boxes. I’ve been busy online shopping.…
Read More >It’s a 21st-century approach to fighting crime, Mayor Mark Holland said. About $842,000 in federal public safety technology grants are expected to help equip Kansas City, Kansas, police officers with body cameras and build out a network of real-time, street cameras. “These grants advance one of my top priorities as mayor: to give our police…
Read More >High-growth companies interested in pitching their firm to hundreds of investors can now apply to present their business at the InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum. The 19th annual forum will be held in St. Louis on March 28 and 29, 2018. The event is expected to draw more than 300 investors and entrepreneurs across the Midwest,…
Read More >When a small business uploads its products to a third party e-commerce platform like Amazon, it’s giving away control, David Tai said. “With things like Etsy and Amazon, it’s very hard to communicate and build your brand because you’re building your brand on their platform,” said Tai, CTO of Hanzo. “Your products are next to…
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