Bobby Burch
Recent Articles by Bobby Burch
Go print yourself! Overland Park doob shop turns selfie concept into 3D replicas
A new shop in Overland Park is supplanting the selfie with the mini me. After first opening shops in Los Angeles and New York City, the Germany-based 3D printing firm doob has arrived in the Kansas City area to 3D print people, groups and pets. The technology, process and results capture moments in time customers…
1 Million Cups KC move to Plexpod Westport Commons percolating
1 Million Cups — Kansas City’s most-popular entrepreneur event series — is brewing a move to the area’s largest coworking community. After six years of hosting the entrepreneurial showcase event at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 1MCKC is moving its weekly program to Plexpod Westport Commons. 1 Million Cups began in Kansas City in April…
Kauffman Foundation’s Philip Gaskin sees entrepreneur ecosystems in the humble snowflake
Editor’s note: This content was sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation but independently produced by Startland News. When it comes to developing a startup, there’s no better training ground than a political campaign, Philip Gaskin said. “You’re building movements of people to do extraordinary things,” said Gaskin, director of entrepreneurial communities and chief of…
SafetyCulture raises $45.5M Series C funding round
SafetyCulture, an Australia-based firm whose North American headquarters is located in Kansas City, announced a huge funding round Monday to advance its tech platform focused on workplace safety. The tech firm raised a $45.5 million Series C round led by New York investment firm Tiger Global Management. Other investors include previous backers, including Blackbird Ventures,…
Truck-sharing startup Bungii expands into another huge market
Kansas City-based truck-sharing app Bungii is hitting the gas on its East Coast expansion. Several months after opening operations in Atlanta, the truck-sharing startup announced Thursday that it will offer its platform in the Washington D.C. area. The expansion includes neighborhoods in the District of Columbia, southeastern Maryland and northeastern Virginia. With the D.C. metro,…
ShotTracker raises $10.4M round featuring former NBA Commissioner David Stern
Merriam-based ShotTracker is fueling its global expansion via a large funding round featuring several high-profile investors. The sports tech company announced Wednesday that it raised a $10.4 million Series A financing round led by Ward.Ventures, NBA commissioner David Stern and two-time National League home run champion, Ryan Howard. The round also includes Greycroft, Elysian Ventures,…
Popular TEDxKC won’t return in 2018; organizers to focus on women, youth events
TEDxKC — one of the largest and most-popular independently-organized TEDx events in the world — won’t be back for 2018. While TEDxYouth@KC and TEDxKCWomen are expected to return in 2018, hitting pause on TEDxKC’s “general ideas” event will allow organizers to reflect on accomplishments, missteps and milestones, said Mike Lundgren, co-founder of TEDxKC. “We asked two…
Lean Lab rebrands to reflect its evolution within education innovation
The Lean Lab has announced a rebranding effort to better reflect and differentiate it from other groups in education innovation, said co-founder Katie Boody. Unveiling a new look in late April, the Kansas City-based organization is now LEANLAB Education, which Boody hopes will better communicate its mission, she said. “We know the nature of our…
Duo creates app-based audio tour exploring KC’s history of segregation
Most Kansas Citians are uninformed on the area’s segregated past, Nathaniel Bozarth said. “To be quite honest, I’m convinced that this ignorance is by design,” said Bozarth, a Kansas City ethnographer and host of the Wide Ruled podcast. “White America does not want to deal with the sins of our fathers and our own sins…
Midwest VC, area startup vet join Firebrand Ventures following $17.7M fund raise
On the heels of smashing its fundraising goal, Firebrand Ventures has added a pair of new team members. The Kansas City-based seed fund is welcoming Cincinnati venture capitalist Wendy Lea as an advisor and Kansas City startup vet Maranda Manning as fund associate, said managing director John Fein. Lea brings a wealth of investment and…