News

KC startups join Techstars, Amazon and Kickstarter to support net neutrality

By Tommy Felts / June 6, 2017

Amazon, Kickstarter, Etsy, Mozilla and other tech giants are planning a “day of action” on July 12 to oppose efforts to undo net neutrality regulations by Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai. As national momentum grows, the fight for a free and open Internet already has garnered local support.  More than a dozen Kansas City-area…

Flyover Capital leads $1.5M round in Illinois startup

By Tommy Felts / June 6, 2017

Overland Park-based venture capital firm Flyover Capital has led a $1.5 million Series A round in an Illinois-based tech firm. Flyover led the investment round — which included Serra Ventures and other private investors — in Inprentus Precision Optics, which designs and manufactures X-ray and EUV diffraction gratings for “synchrotron radiation” facilities. The technology is used…

Faster-than-expected visa process helps BLITAB relocate from Austria to KC

By Tommy Felts / June 6, 2017

Eight months after the Austria-based firm BLITAB won a LaunchKC grant, its co-founders have finally settled into their new home of Kansas City, Mo. BLITAB — a startup that developed the world’s first tablet for blind people — was the only internationally-based firm to win a $50,000 LaunchKC grant in September. But before co-founders Kristina Tsvetanova and Slavi…

KCultivator Q&A: Adrienne Haynes on microwave etiquette, Madam C.J. Walker, Beyonce

By Tommy Felts / June 5, 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. Check out our other features on Robert Manigold, Susan Wally and Donald Carter. Adrienne Haynes caught an entrepreneurial bug as a teenager. With a passion for helping young people, she aspired to…

Events Preview: Startup Weekend KC, Second Fridays

By Tommy Felts / June 5, 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…