Corporate

Erin Jenkins, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Kauffman Foundation’s Erin Jenkins bounces between contrasting cultures, startup life

Editor’s note: This content was sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation but independently produced by Startland News. Curiosity took Erin Jenkins to Japan. Curiosity brought her home. In between, she embedded herself in the worlds of intercultural entrepreneurism and startup life — her journey aligning itself with an opportunity to serve as a program officer…

Donald Hawkins, Griffin Technologies

nbkc launches Entrepreneur in Residence incubator: ‘I have a whole company behind me’

Less than a year after its inaugural Fountain City Fintech accelerator debuted, nbkc bank has launched a new incubator program designed to tackle common banking industry problems with start-up-style ideation, problem solving, and tenacity, said Megan Darnell. The goal: building new companies along the way, the nbkc program manager said. “Kansas City has every single…

Industrious, Seattle

Take a peek: Industrious offers glimpse of what new Plaza coworking space could look like

Startup energy will soon take hold on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza, as Industrious — the nation’s largest coworking space — prepares to set up shop in a 30,000-square-foot chunk of the historic retail and entertainment district, the company announced Thursday. “Kansas City is a dominant market in the Silicon Prairie.  As one of the…

USDA moving two key agencies to KC, expected to bring 568 new jobs to the animal health corridor

Corporate and government leaders agree: Kansas City is positioned at the hub of innovation in the animal health space, they said Thursday, announcing the metro has been chosen as the new home of two federal agencies. “Kansas City is a city with a small town feel, which makes it a great place to build a…

Jeff Jones, H&R Block

Wave’s $405M acquisition a move toward ‘bigger, bolder, faster’ H&R Block, CEO says

The $405 million acquisition of Wave Financial wasn’t about H&R Block’s image — it was a move to join like-minded companies in the trenches of innovation, no matter the weight either surging business holds, said Jeff Jones. “We knew strategically that industry makes Wave a fit with H&R Block, and then it was a matter…