Startups

Techstars KC

Newest Techstars KC class tackling payday loans, food safety, bots for business

By Tommy Felts / July 16, 2018

Techstars Kansas City has revealed its 2018 cohort of startups. The 10 companies will make a big impact not only on Kansas City but the global economy, said Lesa Mitchell, managing director of Techstars KC. “Although our companies come from many industries, they share in common that they are all solving problems to make the…

Read More >

(Video) ESHIP Summit attendees ask: Can entrepreneurial support efforts actually be sustainable?

By Tommy Felts / July 13, 2018

When more than 600 attendees gathered this week in Kansas City for the second ESHIP Summit, they each came with their own ecosystems, businesses, local governments and support networks in mind. They also brought questions. “What are they doing in their cities? What’s worked and what hasn’t worked? What can we adopt back at home…

Read More >
Tim Donnelly, SoftVu

Four key moments led to SoftVu’s exit (three missteps kept it from happening sooner)

By Tommy Felts / July 13, 2018

Deals like the acquisition of KC-based SoftVu by an Alabama private equity firm don’t happen overnight. And founder Tim Donnelly gives near-equal weight to the trials and triumphs that led the marketing platform to its big exit. “We’ve done as much as we possibly can based on the mistakes we’ve made, the lessons that have…

Read More >

Brood of Bird electric scooters land in Kansas City

By Tommy Felts / July 12, 2018

Birds of a feather scoot together. Joining more than 20 cities across the U.S., Kansas City became the most recent community to welcome a flock of Bird electric scooters. The Los Angeles-based firm dropped off dozens of black, lithium-ion-powered scooters throughout Kansas City, allowing users to rent the vehicles and zip across town with a…

Read More >
Edison District rendering, Opus Group

OP greenlights Edison District walking community envisioned by former startup executive

By Tommy Felts / July 10, 2018

Less than a month after announcing the launch of a second coworking location in Johnson County, the former startup executive behind Edison Spaces revealed news of a new project: a mixed-use district that repurposes a block previously defined by its church grounds. Centered around a five-story office building that features a chef-driven food hall, the Edison…

Read More >