All Stories

Leawood Venture Capital opens new $25 million startup fund

By Tommy Felts / May 16, 2017

Kansas City has a new venture fund focusing on early-stage tech firms. With $25 million in its coffers, Leawood Venture Capital has already made several investments in tech firms around the nation, including Kansas City-based Pepper IoT. Led by seasoned businessmen Brendan Fallis and Karl Gemperli, Leawood Venture Capital will provide equity investments and growth…

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Events Preview: Lean Lab happy hour, business model canvas

By Tommy Felts / May 15, 2017

There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Are you hosting a relevant community event? Feel free to add it to the FWD/KC calendar for increased exposure. Once your event…

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Concerned tech leaders pen amicable yet stern letter on KCMO’s proposed Airbnb, Homeaway rules

By Tommy Felts / May 12, 2017

An advocacy group representing the area tech industry has offered a series of concerns on how the City of Kansas City, Mo., could regulate home-sharing services like Airbnb or Homeaway. In a letter to the Kansas City Council regarding proposed regulations on homesharing, the KC Tech Council said the area now has an opportunity to…

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Prairie Char, Integrated Animal Health sweep international ag, bio tech competition

By Tommy Felts / May 12, 2017

Two tech firms based in Lawrence, Kan., swept the top awards at a recent national agriculture and biotech conference. Beating out more than 500 international competitors, Prairie Char and Integrated Animal Health snagged first and second place, respectively, at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s annual entrepreneurial showcase.  “What this says is that Kansas is very…

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Chris Brown: Where to Incorporate? Delaware, Missouri or Kansas?

By Tommy Felts / May 12, 2017

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. This article is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Readers with legal questions should consult an attorney. Entrepreneurs often think they need to incorporate in Delaware. In this article, we’ll look at whether that is the best decision (hint – often…

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Vibrant clothing, mission guides socially focused startup By Grace Designs

By Tommy Felts / May 11, 2017

A social impact firm with the mission to empower women in Ghana and India recently beat out more than 40 other firms to win the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge, earning it $20,000.  Co-founded by Emily Moon and Kelsey Carlstedt in 2015, By Grace Designs is a nonprofit that sells handmade, culturally-authentic clothing online, offering vibrantly…

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Blooom announces layoffs, new strategic focus on consumers

By Tommy Felts / May 11, 2017

Refocusing its outbound efforts to solely target consumers, financial tech startup Blooom has laid off nearly a third of its staff and a top executive has resigned. The Leawood-based company recently announced that it has let go of 10 employees as it moves resources away from marketing to enterprises and will refocus on direct-to-consumer marketing.…

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Report: KC is a tech hub but labor shortage is hampering growth

By Tommy Felts / May 11, 2017

Each day, Kansas City is better positioning itself to be the Midwest’s tech hub. But for Kansas City to realize its full potential, tech leaders, policymakers and the community need to do more to cultivate homegrown talent, KC Tech Council president Ryan Weber said. “Attracting talent from another city is a very small game — and…

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KC tech startup partners with Children’s Mercy to help diagnose, manage care

By Tommy Felts / May 9, 2017

Kansas City-based Engage Mobile Solutions developed a mobile app assisting pediatricians at Children’s Mercy Hospital, treating children facing acute illnesses and injuries. The tech firm created “CMPeDS: Pediatric Decision Support” to provide healthcare professionals with evidence-based guidelines to manage patients who are facing acute illnesses such as infections, or children who are experiencing acute injuries,…

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UMKC eyes ‘final four’ of Enactus contest attracting thousands of student entrepreneurs to KC

By Tommy Felts / May 9, 2017

Kansas City will soon become the entrepreneurial epicenter for a national, collegiate competition and conference challenging young innovators to do good in their communities. From May 21 to 23, Kansas City will host more than 2,000 entrepreneurial college students for the Enactus United States National Exposition. Founded in 1975, Enactus challenges students from more than…

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