Government

Tech Scouts: Your pitch ideas could help defend the US; Aug. 12 application deadline nears

By Tommy Felts / August 9, 2018

The U.S. Department of Defense isn’t just bullets and bombs, said Jack Harwell. A five-day October event — “Encountering Innovation,” which is organized by the DoD and the Small Business Development Center’s Kansas office — gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch innovative solutions to a panel of the DoD’s “tech scouts,” said Harwell, advisor at…

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Mayor Sly James, State of the City

Digital Workforce launch emphasizes freelance opportunities for diverse ‘solopreneurs’

By Tommy Felts / August 8, 2018

“This room should mirror our city,” said Sly James, repeating a common refrain used throughout his time as Kansas City mayor. But as he addressed a crowd of freelance workers taking part Monday morning in the city’s launch of the Digital Workforce Development Initiative (DWDI), the remark came with a less-frequent follow-up. “And it does,”…

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High-tech dog kennels to affordable housing: Mayor announces city’s new startup partners

By Tommy Felts / July 30, 2018

Kansas City needs startups’ brightest minds working on the ever-evolving city’s behalf, said Mayor Sly James. Six valuable new startup partners — ranging from companies addressing housing and zoning issues to firms focused on high-tech dog houses and the management of restaurants’ grease — have accepted the call, the city announced Friday. “The Innovation Partnership…

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myWyco PayIt

Simplifying access: PayIt teams with KCK Unified Government for enhanced myWyco app

By Tommy Felts / June 29, 2018

Interacting with state and local government can and should be seamless, said Monica Harrell of PayIt, a KC tech firm that partnered its statewide iKan app with Wyandotte County’s myWyco app to create enhanced access for residents. “It’s a more streamlined experience,” said Harrell, senior client manager for Payit, “Especially because residents are not usually…

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Mayor Sly James Living Cities

Vote now: KCMO competing for spot in accelerator focusing on gender, racial inclusion

By Tommy Felts / June 19, 2018

KCMO already is a five-star city, Mayor Sly James says, but a new accelerator program could make it even better. “Kansas City’s startup community is growing and innovating, but women and people of color are being left behind,” James says in a pitch video for Living Cities City Accelerator program. A coalition of local organizations,…

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