Bobby Burch
Recent Articles by Bobby Burch
And the winners of Startland’s $3,000 giveaway are …
In case you didn’t already know, Kansas City startups are a generous bunch. Last week, Startland News asked if any area businesses wanted to participate in a giveaway for those attending the Kansas City Startup Crawl. In true startup fashion, our idea for a giveaway came at the last minute — three days before the…
Survey dissects area investors’ challenges, interests with startup deals
A recent survey of high-net-worth investors in the Kansas City area has found that most could benefit from independent due diligence and improved communication with other investors. The survey — conducted by KCSourceLink and the Alternative Investment Forum spoke with 80 area investors about their activities in early-stage investment. Mark Meyerdirk, founder of the Alternative…
Kauffman: U.S. entrepreneurial growth on upward trend
For the third year in a row, U.S. entrepreneurial ventures are growing, indicating that domestic entrepreneurship growth has rebounded since the Great Recession, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The “2016 Kauffman Index of Growth Entrepreneurship” found the improvement was in large part thanks to startups growing faster in their first five years than…
Greg Kratofil shows how startups can tap new crowdfunding law
Kansas City startups are already interested in tapping new crowdfunding rules that allow them to trade equity for investment funds. Polsinelli tech attorney Greg Kratofil said that he’s fielded several calls from entrepreneurs hoping to raise capital via recent changes to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s equity crowdfunding regulations. The changes, which took effect on…
The Bunker Labs KC lands funding to help veteran entrepreneurs
The area’s go-to organization for military veteran entrepreneurs, Bunker Labs KC, will boost its impact in the area with new financial support. The local organization, which is a part of the national network of Bunker Labs, announced Wednesday that it received $100,000 from the Missouri Technology Corporation. The funds will primarily be used to bring…
Fading passion compels in-the-black Creelio to shut down
Kansas City-based storytelling startup Creelio is closing its doors after three years of helping executives write custom content. Founded in 2013, Creelio was born out of a 2012 Startup Weekend competition and led by Julie Edge and Steve Stava. The six-person firm company co-wrote blogs and content with more than 60 area executives, helping them…
Kansas City founders to discuss the ‘Art of Failure’
Most startups fail. But that doesn’t mean that lessons from their demise must fade away with them. Zen and the Art of Failure — set for May 19 at Village Square Coworking Studio — will explore the topic of failure via three local founders’ startup experiences and how they grew as a result. Matthew Marcus, executive director…
Mozilla grants boost local 3D modeling, literacy, STEM
The Mozilla Gigabit Community Fund awarded three Kansas City organizations a total of nearly $60,000 in grants to build gigabit-enabled tech projects. Mozilla gifted the funds to PlanIt Impact, Pennez and the KC Social Innovation Center, which will allow the groups to implement 16-week pilot testing from May 16 to Sept. 4. Mozilla also…
Kansas angel tax credits signed into law
Months of hard work by Kansas City entrepreneurs has paid off. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback on Wednesday signed an extension of the Angel Investor Tax Credits into law, preserving what supporters say is the state’s only financial incitive specifically for startups. The law goes into effect on July 1, 2016. Kansas Senate Bill 149 will…
Shaken and stirred up, entrepreneurs battle Crossroads developer over liquor law
Supporters of a new Kansas City liquor law hope it will put a stop to what they say are anti-competitive practices by a prominent Crossroads Arts District developer. The recently-passed measure — Ordinance No. 160281 — amends portions of city code to increase the number of property owners who can offer consent for liquor licenses…