Meet the No Coast winners: Homebase founder, Garmin lead 2020 KC tech honors

Tech is a team sport — a reality undefeated by COVID-19, the KC Tech Council said Wednesday, capping a two-day virtual No Coast ceremony that recognized the interconnectedness of Kansas City’s tech community with entrepreneurship, corporate innovation, education and policy.

Among the first winners unveiled: veteran startup founder and CEO Blake Miller, whose Homebase.ai employs 25 full-time and 10 part-time workers — posting 600-percent two-year average annual growth and earning a spot on Startland News’ 2020 list of Kansas City’s Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies.

Miller was honored with the No Coast Tech Connector of the Year Award.

“What sounds like an individual award to me is anything but, and with the isolation that everyone has experienced this year, I hope this moment in time really serves as an inspiration that a growth mindset and being connected with one another really will grow the pie for all of us, especially here in Kansas City,” Miller said, expressing gratitude on behalf of his team.

Click here to learn more about why Homebase, a smart living platform, was selected as one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2019.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the tech industry has validated its importance to Kansas City’s regional economy, said Ryan Weber, KC Tech Council president, and has demonstrated the resilience necessary to face today’s challenges.

“We would love to celebrate technology and a great industry supporting Kansas City in person,” Weber said in a kick-off video for No Coast. “But of course it’s 2020 things are different. Things have changed.”

For 2020, award winners were revealed not in gala setting, but via a series of video announcements featuring Cameos by such celebrities as former Chiefs guard Will Shields; singer-songwriter Melissa Ethridge; “The Office” actor Oscar Nuñez; and LeVar Burton, star of “Reading Rainbow,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Roots.”

No Coast award winners and finalists included:

Tech Connector of the Year

• Blake Miller — CEO of Homebase.ai (winner)
• Ed Lada — president and CEO of Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (finalist)
• Dale Werts — partner, Lathrop GPM LLP (finalist)

Kathy Busch, Kansas State Board of Education

Tech Champion of the Year

• Kathy Busch — chair, Kansas State Board of Education (winner)
• Ed Lada — president and CEO of Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (finalist)
• Elijah Haahr — speaker of the House, Missouri House of Representatives (finalist)

Outstanding Contribution to Tech

• Garmin (winner)
• Cobalt Iron (finalist)
• MSTS (finalist)

Jenna Beckett, Centriq Training

Tech Educator of the Year

• Jenna Beckett — Centriq Training (winner)
• Frank Pflumm — Centriq Training (finalist)
• Scott Bromander — Prime Digital Academy (finalist)

The No Coast festivities also featured keynote remarks from Ann Gaffigan, director of technology operations at Dimensional Innovations, and Kristen Hammer, business development manager at Virgin Hyperloop.

Click here to watch Tuesday’s keynote presentations.

KC Tech Council’s No Coast festivities included an additional nod to the resilience of the local tech community amid COVID-19 challenges. Watch the video salute below.