Bobby Burch
Recent Articles by Bobby Burch
Google Fiber nixes free Internet offering in Kansas City
It’s often said there’s no such thing as a free lunch. And in Google’s case, there’s no such thing a free fiber connection — at least anymore. The tech titan last week nixed its free Internet offering, which dished out download speeds of 5 megabits-per-second and upload speeds of 1 mbps. Google has offered the…
QM Power snags $9M round for high-tech electric motor
Kansas City-based QM Power recently raised significant capital to accelerate development of its electric motor that the company says will transform its industry. The tech firm raised $9.06 million from undisclosed investors to boost development of the “Q-Sync Smart Synchronous Motor.” QM Power says the motor is as much as 80 percent more efficient…
After ‘largest product launch ever,’ Tesla attracts KC futurists
In a week, electric car maker Tesla has spurred an automotive ardor whose fervor may only be rivaled by the replacement of horses with the Ford Model T. Tesla’s new Model 3 has received more than 325,000 pre-orders in seven days, which corresponds to about $14 billion in implied future sales. The sales represent the…
Kansas City’s Five Elms injects $4M in Omaha startup
Kansas City-based Five Elms Capital recently led a round of financing for an Omaha blog-hosting startup. Five Elms led a $4 million round for Flywheel, allowing the startup to add features to its platform for designers and agencies, as well as beef up marketing and sales operations. Linseed Capital and the Nebraska Angels, a network…
Rapid growth propelling grand ambitions for PopBookings
Only weeks after releasing its latest product, event staffing tech firm PopBookings is hiring staff and looking for capital to accommodate for rapid growth. In the last six weeks the Kansas City-based startup has added thousands of users to its platform on which staffing agencies can hire and manage temporary labor for specific events. Now…
Video: Foosball and whimsy are integral to the RFP365 ethos
Kansas City foosball virtuoso Stuart Ludlow knows his way around the fútbol table. With a strike rivaling a Black Mamba’s, Ludlow’s instincts and supple wrist on the foosball pitch puts to shame most any adversary. But perhaps equally as cunning is Ludlow’s savvy to integrate the table game into the workplace culture of RFP365, of which he’s a co-founder. Founded in 2012,…
LaunchKC, the $500K grant competition, opens applications
The popular LaunchKC grants competition is back for more and is now accepting applications. LaunchKC — which attracted nearly 500 applicants in its inaugural 2015 competition — dishes out 10, $50,000 non-dilutive grants to tech entrepreneurs from around the globe. “We are searching for the best and brightest startups or early stage technology businesses to apply…
Video: Witness a high-tech response to mock active shooter situation
Kansas City Police on Thursday hosted a live demonstration of a high-tech, drone-enabled response to a mock active shooter situation in Kansas City. The event, which was part of the inaugural Smart City Tech Summit, featured such public safety tools as gunshot detection tech, drones, social media monitoring, data analytics and more. Here’s a video recap of the…
Five years later: Google Fiber celebrates a Kansas City milestone
Five years ago today, the Kansas City area heard the news that it would receive a transformative, residential gigabit Internet service. Hundreds of cities lobbied to be the first to receive Google Fiber, but ultimately, Kansas City, Kan. won the highly-sought-after service. And the world learned that on March 30, 2011. Five years later, Google…
SparkLabKC nixes spring program, eyes management change
One of Kansas City’s top business accelerators is canceling its spring program amid a series of changes, including a potential management mixup. Founded in 2012, SparkLabKC will not be offering what would’ve been its fourth spring program as it evaluates its future. Through three separate classes, the organization has helped accelerate 30 area startups with…