News

Eyeing area talent gap, Code the Block to teach tech skills to underserved KC youth

By Tommy Felts / July 7, 2017

A new organization seeks to strengthen Kansas City’s tech talent pipeline by bringing computer science education to underserved youth. Co-founded by David Persley and Joe Wilkinson in 2016, Code the Block is an after-school program targeting high school students in Kansas City. Persley, a Teach for America alum, and Wilkinson, a former business analyst with…

Kansas Citians help break TEDx world record for fastest sellout of tickets

By Tommy Felts / July 7, 2017

In the time it takes to walk from Kansas City’s streetcar line to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, TEDxKC sold out. In record time — only four minutes — Kansas Citians devoured hundreds of tickets for the TEDxKC live event on Aug. 18 at the Kauffman Center.   Mike Lundgren, curator and founder…

New scholarship opportunities for urban entrepreneurs available in August

By Tommy Felts / July 7, 2017

The Urban Business Growth Initiative announced it released new scholarship opportunities for urban entrepreneurs in Kansas City beginning in August. Launched in 2013, the initiative offers a variety of programs that fuel urban business growth — whether that be counseling, classes or access to resources. The UBGI helped 92 scholarship award-winners generate $29.5 million in…

In an oversubscribed round, PopBookings raises $1M

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2017

Quickly expanding around the nation, the event staffing tech firm PopBookings recently raised a significant round that will push the technology into international markets. Led by CEO Erika Klotz and COO Scott Hanson, the Kansas City-based tech firm recently raised more than $1 million in an oversubscribed round that includes the Missouri Technology Corporation, iSelect…

Sprint Accelerator alum and AI firm Centiment to begin KU Med partnership

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2017

New York-based artificial intelligence firm Centiment recently announced that the firm has established a research partnership with the University of Kansas School of Medicine. The neuroscience study will focus on two areas of the brain — the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex — and will scan the brains of people while they consume content, looking for…