Storytailor

Recent Articles by Storytailor

KC Smart City wins ‘Oscar of Innovation,’ a gold Edison Award

April 26, 2017

Validating a bold technology plan by a variety of public and private organizations, Kansas City’s Smart City initiative recently won a prestigious Edison Award for innovation. The City of Kansas City, Mo., Sprint, Cisco, Think Big Partners and other organizations won a gold award in the category of connected collaboration from the Edison Awards in…

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PayIt lands partnership with the Sunflower State

April 25, 2017

Financial tech startup PayIt announced Monday that it will work with the Sunflower State as its innovation partner.  The Kansas City-based firm will work with Kansas’ Office of Information Technology Services, offering its web and mobile app that streamlines financial interactions between citizens and government agencies. PayIt CEO John Thomson said he’s excited to partner…

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Kansas City city hall

Calling startups: KCMO wants to find new innovation partners

April 24, 2017

The City of Kansas City, Mo. is once again looking for entrepreneurs to help develop new innovations to improve the quality and efficiency of city services. The city is now accepting applications for its Innovation Partnership Program, which is now in its third year of working with entrepreneurs from around the world. The program offers…

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Kauffman Foundation

Kauffman Foundation allocates up to $7M for inclusive entrepreneurship effort

April 24, 2017

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has launched a grant program that hopes to fuel business growth among underrepresented entrepreneurs. As part of the Zero Barriers movement, the Kauffman Foundation is accepting RFPs for Inclusion Open, a grant program that aims to enable champions of underrepresented entrepreneurs to expand their services to topple barriers. “We know…

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Events Preview: Transportation in KC, WordPress conference

April 24, 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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Plexpod Westport Commons

Photo gallery: KC’s biggest coworking studio Plexpod Westport Commons

April 21, 2017

Launched in 2015, Plexpod Westport Commons recently opened its doors after completing phase one of the project to revamp a middle school to become a coworking campus. Read more about the project, or take a video walking tour here.

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KCultivator Q&A: Ex-detective Donald Carter talks duck brains, Kendrick Lamar, MLK Jr.

April 21, 2017

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a new, lighthearted profile series we’re kicking off to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. If you have suggestions on people or have feedback, let us know what you think! For Donald Carter, kindness is serious business. After a decade-long detective career with the Kansas City Police…

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DivvyHQ founders named finalists for prestigious EY Award

April 21, 2017

The two men leading the fast-growing tech startup DivvyHQ have been named finalists for the Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Award in the Central Midwest.   DivvyHQ co-founders Brody Dorland and Brock Stechman both were named finalists for the award on Thursday, lending credence to the duo’s tech. DivvyHQ created a planning and collaboration platform…

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Effort hopes to rebuild eastern KC neighborhood by reviving jazz roots

April 20, 2017

Since the 1920s, jazz has built a reputation for Kansas City. About 90 years later, a local organization is hoping the power of jazz can rebuild Kansas City. Led by co-founders and spouses Daniel and Ebony Edwards, KC Jazz LP is working to establish Kansas City as the jazz recording capital of the world while…

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After St. Joseph tech firm acquisition, Online Tech expands to KC

April 20, 2017

Ann Arbor-based Online Tech has acquired a St. Joseph, Mo. cloud firm, paving the way for its expansion into Kansas City. The cloud security company announced Thursday that it purchased St. Joseph-based Echo Cloud, which provides colocation and cloud hosting services. Echo Cloud CEO Bill Severn said he’s pleased to be joining the Online Tech…

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