Bobby Burch
Recent Articles by Bobby Burch
Bevy of area businessmen are EY award finalists
Eight Kansas City-area businessmen are now finalists for a national entrepreneurship award. Ranging from techies to whiskey-makers, the regional finalists of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards recognize those “who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses.” Sponsored in part by the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, EY operates its award…
Entrepreneurial foundation names local ‘startup champion’ as director
The Kansas City Startup Foundation’s year-long search for a new executive director ended right where it began. The foundation — whose mission is to unify Kansas City’s startup and entrepreneur community — recently hired Matthew Marcus as its executive director. Marcus, who most recently served as the foundation’s chairman, will begin his tenure in May. “It’s…
Kauffman Foundation CEO serves up 5 policies for entrepreneurial growth
Adaptation, experimentation and research. No, those aren’t tips to run a startup. Rather, they’re a few of the recommendations for lawmakers to consider if they’d like to spur nationwide entrepreneurial growth, according to Wendy Guillies, CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Now nearly a year into her tenure as CEO, Guillies recently presented five…
Crawl through Kansas City’s startup scene with this happy hour tour
After a two-year hiatus, a popular city-wide tour of area startups will return to offer residents a chance to learn about the entrepreneurs and innovative businesses around them. Set for May 20, the 2016 Kansas City Startup Crawl will wind its way through several of the area’s startup hotbeds, highlighting coworking studios, accelerators and community…
Five insights from KCSourceLink’s annual review of KC entrepreneurship
A recent report dissected a deluge of details on Kansas City entrepreneurship, analyzing its demographics, talent pipeline, capital sources and more. And the prognosis, according to entrepreneurial resource hub KCSourceLink? Kansas City is making steady progress toward its goal to become one of the United States’ most entrepreneurial cities. “We are committed to supporting the…
Watch: Nomad App founders ‘scratching our own itch’ with travel tech
After an inspiring but at times complicated adventure in Latin America, the founders of a Kansas City startup are aiming to ease the burdens of traveling to exotic locales. During a Central- and South-American tour of more than 5,500 miles, Nomad App co-founder Juan Campos said his team realized there are common logistical challenges for…
New, wireless Google project could make KC the most connected city on earth
Google apparently likes Kansas City a lot — a whole lot. Now four years after it launched its gigabit Internet service in the area, Google is planning to build a massive wireless broadband network in Kansas City that could make it one of the most connected cities on earth. Google — which already has determined the…
Five startups hop into the Digital Sandbox KC
Another batch of early-stage firms are planning to accelerate their businesses via Digital Sandbox KC. Kansas City business incubator Digital Sandbox KC on Thursday announced that five startups have received its proof-of-concept funding support. Digital Sandbox, which invests up to $25,000 in area businesses for specific projects that help the firms secure additional funding, has…
Overland Park startup Member Jets crowdsources private flights to cut costs, save time
An Overland Park tech firm is bringing charter flights to the masses with its crowdsourcing platform that reduces the costs to fly in swanky private jets. Founded in 2015, Member Jets created a private aviation community that connects travelers to discounted private flights by aggregating available seats and travel opportunities. Now used at Kansas City’s…
Report: Kansas City startups snagging more dough in 2016
Kansas City has made significant strides when it comes to improving access to early-stage capital, though its relative volume still lags other startup hubs, according to a recent report. In the first three months of 2016, Kansas City has boosted its total capital raised by about 297 percent when compared to the same time period…