Startups

Video: John Fein offers an update on the Sprint Accelerator

John Fein, Techstars managing director, chats with Startland News editor Bobby Burch about the accelerator’s 2016 class. Now in its third year, the accelerator this year has a broader focus on all mobile technologies, as opposed to only mobile health in previous years. The accelerator in March welcomed ten new companies to its three-month, mentor-led program,…

Events Preview: Happy Hour tonight, LaunchCode Liftoff

There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter or curious Kansas Citian, we’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW Amazon Web Services Happy Hour When: March 24 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Where: Village Square Coworking Studio Thirsty? Come enjoy…

Video: Sprint Accelerator firms deliver elevator pitches

Startland News, along with the Kansas City community, was able to mix and mingle with the current cohort of startups at the Kansas City-based Sprint Accelerator. In a Wednesday night event at the accelerator — located in the Crossroads Arts District — ten startup founders also quickly pitched their tech firms’ missions. The accelerator program, led…

Kansas’ angel tax credits sprint to legal finish line

The Kansas House of Representatives nearly unanimously agreed that the state’s Angel Investor Tax Credits program must continue to boost early-stage businesses. The House voted 122 to 3 in favor of a measure that will extend the life of the $6 million program until 2021. Angel investor tax credits, which are set to expire in 2016,…

Shawnee native sells another startup for over $1B with GM deal

General Motors is hoping to become the leader of self-driving car technology with the gargantuan acquisition of Cruise Automation, whose founder has a local tie.   GM announced on March 11 that it purchased Cruise for more than $1 billion in a move that aims to accelerate the development of GM’s autonomous vehicle tech. Cruise…