Latest Stories
LaunchCode kicks off Kansas City office with $250K boost
Fresh off its expansion to Kansas City, LaunchCode will tap additional capital from the Missouri Technology Corporation to boost its operations focused on tech workforce development. With a visit Thursday from Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon at the Sprint Accelerator, the MTC announced that it would inject an additional $250,000 into LaunchCode, which expanded from St….
Innovation officer confident KC can nab $50M transportation grant
The City of Fountains has a solid shot at landing a $50 million award that could transform its transportation system. At least that’s what Kansas City’s new chief innovation officer Bob Bennett believes. Bennett, who started his tenure as Kansas City’s second innovation officer in January, said that the city’s openness to new technology situates…
Events Preview: Second Fridays, coding weekend
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 Second Fridays When: February 12 @ 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm Where: Village Square Coworking Studio Second Fridays is simply a casual,…
UMKC, Blue Springs schools testing entrepreneurship class
The University of Missouri-Kansas City wants to play matchmaker between high school students and entrepreneurship. UMKC announced Wednesday that it’s partnering with the Blue Springs School District to test an entrepreneurship course for both high school students and community members. The course, which aims to introduce students to opportunities in entrepreneurship, is available for credit…
Dickson: Kansas City’s ‘show me’ mentality is stagnating its startups
Editor’s note: Net-zero home-building startup Acre Designs, which found its start in Kansas City, recently entered the world’s best business accelerator program: Y Combinator. After facing a tepid investor market in Kansas City, the company will be staying in the San Francisco area after the program’s conclusion. Kansas City fosters an enviable work ethic, steady…
This Kansas City startup is in the world’s best accelerator: Y Combinator
Acre Designs, a net-zero, home-building startup that found its start in Kansas City, is now honing its model in arguably the world’s top business accelerator. San Francisco-based Y Combinator in January welcomed Acre into its 2016 accelerator program. Y Combinator — an early investor in such companies as Airbnb, Dropbox, Reddit, Disqus and others —…
The WTF series: 6 common computing languages
On a daily basis, Ben Kittrell translates the jargon-filled world of technology for clients of his tech consultancy. The Words that Frustrate (WTF) series aims to offer readers some clarity in an industry dominated by techies’ confusing argot. If you want to see a bloodbath, lock a .NET and a Java programmer in the…
Dundee, Lewis & Clark VCs aim to raise Kansas City’s risk capital tide
Kansas City boasts a hearty roster of attractive early-stage investment opportunities. And that’s why two Midwestern venture capital firms with fresh funds are making the Kansas City area a key part of their investment strategies. Both Omaha-based Dundee Venture Capital and St. Louis-based Lewis & Clark Ventures are eyeing Kansas City-area startups for deals varying…
Ahead of Valentine’s, e-commerce floral shop Zinnia prunes itself to grow
Zinnia is not your mom-and-pop local florist — although the company did have a brief iteration as one lasting about a blink last year. It’s also not your big-box, online flower retailer — although their ecommerce site is a beautiful example of what a website focused on the customer experience can look like. The company…
LaunchKC delivering another $500K in 2016
Kansas City’s popular grant competition, LaunchKC, will be doling out another $500,000 in 2016 to startups around the world. LaunchKC in April will open the application period for its international competition, which will issue ten $50,000 grants to winners during the second-annual Techweek Kansas City conference. Drew Solomon, vice president of business and job development…
