And then there was one: Blooom the sole local firm left in national pitch contest
November 17, 2015 | Bobby Burch
Financial tech startup Blooom is the lone Kansas City-area company to advance in the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s “One in a Million” pitch competition
Out of an initial field of more than 350 companies, the Leawood-based firm advanced to the final round of five in the foundation’s pitch contest. The competition, which will conclude the morning of Nov. 18 during Global Entrepreneurship Week, will award $10,000 to one startup that previously participated in the foundation’s 1 Million Cups program.
The other four startups to advance in the contest are: SwineTech of New Sharon, Iowa; Upsie of Minneapolis, Minn.; DryBox of San Antonio, Texas; and My Solar of Los Angeles, California. Two other Kansas City-area companies — Idle Smart and AEGLE Palette — failed to advance to the final round of five.
A star-studded lineup of businesspeople from around the nation will be judging Blooom and the other four startups. Judges in the competition’s final round of five startups are: Marcelo Claure, CEO of Sprint; Nicole Glaros, chief product officer of Techstars; and Paul Kedrosky, managing partner of SK Ventures.
Kansas City Mayor Sly James will present the first-place team the grand prize of $10,000, while second- and third-place winners will receive $5,000 and $1,000, respectively.
The Kauffman Foundation will be providing a live stream of the competition 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kittrell: 5 frustrations for non-technical founders
You’ve got a great idea for an app — the kind that keeps you up at night. But you’ve never worked on a software project before and have no idea what you’re in for. Sound familiar? Here’s a list of common frustrations I see from my non-technical clients. 1. Scope creep No, it’s not a…
Gallery: Lean Lab fellows set to disrupt KC education
Already improving education for about 2,400 area students, the Lean Lab recently set loose another group of innovators hoping to transform Kansas City education. The Kansas City-based education innovation incubator on Friday held its Launch Day, the culminating event of its incubator fellowship. The incubator conducted a five-week ideation program that assisted 10 fellows building…
Applications open for Missouri tech funding
Ready your typing fingers, entrepreneurs. The Missouri Technology Corporation recently opened applications for its IDEA Fund, a program that will match other capital investments in high-growth tech companies. The MTC, a public-private organization that makes investments in Missouri tech companies, is currently accepting applications for four of its IDEA programs, three of which are tailored…
DataLocker acquisition to boost encryption offerings
Overland Park-based data security firm DataLocker recently acquired a Swedish tech firm that will expand its encryption technologies. DataLocker on Tuesday announced the acquisition of BlockMaster, a USB security tech company, for an undisclosed amount. The deal will augment DataLocker’s encryption management platform that allows its clients to track the use and location of sensitive…