All Stories

Report: Kansas City startups snagging more dough in 2016

By Tommy Felts / April 13, 2016

Kansas City has made significant strides when it comes to improving access to early-stage capital, though its relative volume still lags other startup hubs, according to a recent report. In the first three months of 2016, Kansas City has boosted its total capital raised by about 297 percent when compared to the same time period…

Read More >
startups vs. small business

Kohrs: Genesis matters in the startup vs. small business debate

By Tommy Felts / April 12, 2016

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone.   What’s the real difference between a startup and a small business? There’s been a lot of people talking about this since the term “startup” first joined our vernacular during the dot-com bubble. I think it’s because our brains are wired to categorize…

Read More >

Fund me, KC: MyCroft AI to take on Amazon Echo, Siri

By Tommy Felts / April 12, 2016

Startland News is continuing its segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs —  like MyCroft AI CEO Joshua Montgomery — to share their stories to gain a little help from their supporters. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by…

Read More >

The Lean Lab partners with 4.0 Schools to innovate KC education

By Tommy Felts / April 11, 2016

More than 100 years ago, our education system was designed and built to prepare an early-1900s workforce for the industrial age. Today, children are learning with iPads and Youtube, but the bones of the traditional liberal arts structure remain similar to what our great-grandparents experienced. Local education innovation incubator The Lean Lab hopes to change…

Read More >

Google Fiber nixes free Internet offering in Kansas City

By Tommy Felts / April 11, 2016

It’s often said there’s no such thing as a free lunch. And in Google’s case, there’s no such thing a free fiber connection — at least anymore. The tech titan last week nixed its free Internet offering, which dished out download speeds of 5 megabits-per-second and upload speeds of 1 mbps. Google has offered the…

Read More >
Regional Roundup

When your tech becomes an expensive paperweight

By Tommy Felts / April 8, 2016

Here’s this week’s dish on expensive paperweights, company culture and bootstrapping. Check out more in this series here.   The Verge: Nest is permanently disabling the Revolv smart home hub In a shot across the bows of any early-adopter interested in startup tech, Nest announced that it’s shutting down Revolv’s IoT smart home hub. Google-owned…

Read More >

QM Power snags $9M round for high-tech electric motor

By Tommy Felts / April 8, 2016

Kansas City-based QM Power recently raised significant capital to accelerate development of its electric motor that the company says will transform its industry.   The tech firm raised $9.06 million from undisclosed investors to boost development of the “Q-Sync Smart Synchronous Motor.” QM Power says the motor is as much as 80 percent more efficient…

Read More >

After ‘largest product launch ever,’ Tesla attracts KC futurists

By Tommy Felts / April 7, 2016

In a week, electric car maker Tesla has spurred an automotive ardor whose fervor may only be rivaled by the replacement of horses with the Ford Model T. Tesla’s new Model 3 has received more than 325,000 pre-orders in seven days, which corresponds to about $14 billion in implied future sales. The sales represent the…

Read More >

Events Preview: Start Fest, HBD Village Square

By Tommy Felts / April 7, 2016

There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter or curious Kansas Citian, we’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW     Start Fest When: April 8 @ 9:00 am – 2:00 pm Where: KCKCC Technical Education Center It is time for…

Read More >
Kansas City Design Week

Kansas City Design Week convenes community for creatives

By Tommy Felts / April 7, 2016

A quick trek through the Crossroads Arts District effortlessly affirms that Kansas City is a hub for creativity. And with Kansas City Design Week, those creative-types have a hub of their own. The KCDW, set for April 7 through 16, brings together a plethora of creative minds to challenge skills, connect designers with business resources…

Read More >
1MC-Digital-Attend-2460x318px-v1
Founders-Club-Banner-Ad-2

Join Founder's Club – Support Our Mission

Enjoy access to our email newsletter, members only Slack community, exclusive events and other member perks.