Bobby Burch
Recent Articles by Bobby Burch
The metric that your startup needs to measure: Net promoter score
Startups are full of uncertainty — and prospective clients know that. Credibility and reputation are both keys to a company’s ability to not only sell a product or service, but also to create brand ambassadors that will promote it to friends and others. As the saying goes, your customers are your best salespeople. “If you…
Mayo Clinic taps FitBark and finds dogs aren’t terribly disruptive bedmates
File this one under the “aww-some” news category. Those with four-legged bedroom guests can rest assured that quality slumber usually remains a loyal companion, two studies found after analyzing data captured from Kansas City-based FitBark devices. The Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine conducted the first of two studies to explore the impact of pets…
Why and how is Dairy Farmers of America working with startups?
When it comes to operations driving innovation, dairy farms probably don’t come to mind. But that’s precisely what Kansas City’s largest private employer — Dairy Farmers of America — is doing with its move to partner with the revamped Sprint Accelerator in 2017. DFA is among four corporations syncing up with the program in…
Meet the leaders driving Black & Veatch’s entrepreneurial revival
In June, Kansas City construction giant Black & Veatch kicked off an effort to accelerate new, innovative ideas by adopting a concept common among startups. The Overland Park-based corporation launched the B&V Growth Accelerator, which hopes to challenge the global firm’s traditional methods of generating and launching ideas. Black & Veatch — which works with…
Not in Kansas anymore: Mycroft opens Kansas City, Silicon Valley offices
Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently produced by Startland News. After a recent seed round that was topped off with a $50,000 LaunchKC grant, artificial intelligence startup Mycroft is moving from Lawrence to the City of Fountains. Mycroft — which developed an open-source, artificial intelligence device similar to Amazon Echo — not…
AOL founder Steve Case says innovators must become policy savvy
Get familiar with public policy or your company will get left behind. That was the forward-looking message that AOL founder Steve Case had for a group of about 200 investors and entrepreneurs at the 2016 Kauffman Fellows summit in Kansas City. Now the CEO of Revolution, Case argued that investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers will have…
Kauffman Fellows to foster KC, Midwest investor expertise via $960K effort
In an effort to cultivate venture capitalists in the Midwest, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation will award a dozen of scholarships valued at a total of $960,000 for its investor program, Kauffman Fellows. And Kansas City is set to be the biggest beneficiary. During the Kauffman Fellows’ annual summit, the foundation announced that will dish…
How the Mighty Handle evolved from an idea to a hit product
Startland News and the Kansas City Star have partnered to publish content as part of the Star’s new special section, “Spirit.” This story will appear in the Star’s Oct. 23 Sunday edition. Not all innovation is high tech. And while the development of any particular technology is distinct, there remain consistent principles of how to…
The Sprint Accelerator returns in 2017 with new approach
In less that 24 hours, Kansas City has learned that it will have a new pair of major accelerator programs in 2017. The Sprint Accelerator announced Thursday morning that, while it’s retained its name, the program has undergone a significant evolution that hopes to foster meaningful partnerships between startups and Kansas City corporations. Among a…
Techstars to launch new accelerator program in Kansas City
Accelerator guru group Techstars announced Wednesday that it’s launching a new program in Kansas City after leading the Sprint Accelerator for three years with Sprint. Lesa Mitchell, a former vice president of innovation and networks for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, will serve as the managing director of the Kansas City accelerator. “We’re excited to…