St. Louis tech group expanding to KC
July 2, 2015 | Abby Tillman
A St. Louis tech organization is using its recent funding award to expand its operations into Kansas City.
LaunchCode, a nonprofit organization that helps with job placement in technology, received a $250,000 award Wednesday from the Missouri Technology Corporation that will help it expand to cities across Missouri, including Kansas City.
“MTC’s support will be instrumental in allowing us to serve Missouri communities,” LaunchCode Executive Director Brendan Lind said in a release. “MTC’s commitment has deepened our dedication to the state, and affirmed our desire to make Missouri the model for how LaunchCode expands to other states.”
The organization has secured commitments to match MTC’s support, but will source an additional $850,000 to fully realize its Kansas City hub and explore opportunities for expansion to other Missouri cities. The Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Mo., and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have joined MTC as key partners in bringing LaunchCode to the region.
“Given our commitment to educating and employing our residents, it is critical that the city can rely on partners such as LaunchCode to facilitate synergy in our technology community as we work to equip residents for available technology related jobs,” Kansas City Mayor Sly James said in a release. “I applaud the Missouri Technology Corporation’s support of LaunchCode, and encourage other organizations to support LaunchCode and similar programs in Kansas City.”
The tech workforce organization currently partners with over 300 employers nationwide to place job seekers from non-traditional educational backgrounds in paid apprenticeships in technology jobs. They have placed 205 apprentices in tech jobs with over 90 percent converted to permanent hires within 90 days through the TechHire initiative in St. Louis.
On July 15, LaunchCode will host a public forum to discuss its Kansas City expansion with regional community leaders, employers, workforce agencies, educators, and the public. To learn more, click here.
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Claimkit snags ‘aspirational entrepreneur’ award
Overland Park-based tech startup ClaimKit recently was dubbed 2015’s most “aspirational entrepreneur” by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 2011, Claimkit created a contract management platform for insurance companies, law firms and consulting groups to help them more efficiently collect and analyze documents. Now with five full time staff, the company in…
C2FO CEO Sandy Kemper talks failure, VCs, maximizing time
From a Kansas City arena to the founders of one of the nation’s largest financial institutions, the Kemper name is well known in Kansas City. But it’s more than just Sandy Kemper’s name that drew a sold out crowd at Kansas City’s May Startup Grind event. Kemper leads one of Kansas City’s fastest growing companies…
Tech startup, KCSV among finalists for small biz awards
The Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday its small business award finalists. The awards celebrate businesses that are financially successful, have a dynamic idea and are making an impact on the community. This year’s finalists include two members of the startup community. RFP365, which created software that eases the request for proposal process,…