Video: Check out 8 elevator pitches from this year’s Sprint Accelerator companies

With a cohort of companies ranging from artificial intelligence to organic ice cream sandwiches, Sprint Accelerator demonstrates its strength by creating an environment where founders and their teams can learn and develop alongside disparate forms of innovation, Doug Dresslaer said. “They’ve all started realizing they can work together — they’re all on the same side,”…

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KCultivator Q&A: John Coler champions making a quick impact, packs of dolphins

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Today Startland takes a closer look at startup ecosystem champion John Coler. Check out our features on Made in KC’s Tyler Enders, Hispanic business builder Pedro Zamora, ‘fashionpreneur’ Jordan Williams, Plexpod founder Gerald Smith, innovation coach Diana…

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Cooking class curator wins Google-backed Startup Weekend competition

Nine teams made it through Startup Weekend, but only one team earned the dough: PopChef, which cooked up a platform to sign up for interactive kitchen classes with local chefs. PopChef co-founders Zack Kern and Ruby Montoya were ecstatic to win the competition, Kern said. In addition to receiving an hour of consulting with Lesa…

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Food, IoT, blockchain and AgTech startups join 2018 Sprint Accelerator class

With its fifth cohort of early-stage firms, the Sprint Accelerator scoured the globe for a brood of ag, food and tech startups that aim to leverage area corporate partnerships. The Crossroads Arts District-based accelerator announced on Monday nine new startups that will participate in its 90-day, mentor-driven program. The accelerator pairs startups with wireless carrier…

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Applications open: Sprint Accelerator dialing into ag tech, IoT with 2018 cohort

Investing in startups isn’t just about providing needed capital, Doug Dresslaer said. As the Sprint Accelerator gears up for its fifth year, Dresslaer, managing director of the program, said the accelerator’s 2017 cohort — the first since its move toward establishing corporate partnerships and pivot away from Techstars — proved industry relationships themselves create tremendous value.…

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