Tag: Donald Hawkins

Fountain City Fintech 2019 cohort

Party for the payoff: Fountain City Fintech sets Oct. 15 demo day, KC celebration

By Tommy Felts / September 18, 2019

Kansas City’s ongoing fintech momentum deserves more than a nod from analysts and trend watchers, said Zach Pettet, announcing plans for an Oct. 15 demo day that’s already taking shape as a community celebration. “We need an excuse to rally together and celebrate everything that’s happened over the past few months — especially in the…

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Mike Plunkett and John Thomson, PayIt

Payit, C2FO making biggest waves, but funding for smaller companies still jumped 81 percent

By Tommy Felts / August 28, 2019

Editor’s note: The following is the first in a series of analyses of Startland’s list of Kansas City’s Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies. Proof points matter, said John Thomson. “We’re evidence — based on the $100 million-plus growth equity investment we closed this spring — that you can build a world-class tech company in Kansas City,”…

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Donald Hawkins, Griffin Technologies

nbkc launches Entrepreneur in Residence incubator: ‘I have a whole company behind me’

By Tommy Felts / June 18, 2019

Less than a year after its inaugural Fountain City Fintech accelerator debuted, nbkc bank has launched a new incubator program designed to tackle common banking industry problems with start-up-style ideation, problem solving, and tenacity, said Megan Darnell. The goal: building new companies along the way, the nbkc program manager said. “Kansas City has every single…

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WeWork Corrigan Station, WeWork report

WeWork report links coworking space to success of startups, Techstars KC, KC Collective

By Tommy Felts / April 29, 2019

Nearly two years after it made its Kansas City debut, WeWork is delivering a measurable impact on the startup ecosystem, the company said Monday. A first-of-its-kind WeWork research project — the WeWork Global Impact Report — examined the scope of the Crossroads Arts District co-working site and its influence on entrepreneurs metro-wide. Takeaways from the…

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Reports: St. Louis startup scene surging while KC struggles to keep pace with past wins

By Tommy Felts / March 19, 2019

Founders hoping to launch a new startup or move into a fresh market might have better success in St. Louis, rather than Kansas City, according to Inc. magazine’s Surge Cities Index. Inc. placed St. Louis at No. 33 on its 50 Best Places in America for Starting a Business list. Kansas City was positioned at…

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