Bobby Burch
Recent Articles by Bobby Burch
ClaimKit snags $1.8M from local VC Flyover Capital
Insurance tech startup ClaimKit is tapping an area venture capital fund to help launch its second software offering that quickly analyzes policies. The company raised $1.8 million to launch RiskGenius, which helps to identify and categorize insurance clauses in commercial policies. Leawood-based venture capital firm Flyover Capital led the round, which included participation from the…
Is 2016 the last year for Kansas’ angel tax credits?
A popular investor tax credit program in Kansas is likely to sunset after 2016 thanks in part to a budgetary crisis that’s forcing the Sunflower State to broadly tighten its financial belt. Launched in 2005, Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit Program offers a 50 percent income tax credit to qualified angel investors that invest up…
Kansas City’s “Home for Hackers” finds new ownership
The new owner of Kansas City’s “Home for Hackers” is planning to further the legacy of the program that has brought dozens of techies to the area from around the world. Ben Barreth, founder of the Home for Hackers, recently sold his house near 44th and State Line Road in Kansas City, Kan., to Jeff…
Kansas City gigabit projects can snag up to $25K from Mozilla
The Mozilla Foundation is planning to empower Kansas City techies to improve their city. The foundation — along with the National Science Foundation and US Ignite — announced Monday that it’s allocating $300,000 to civically-minded, gigabit pilot projects in Kansas City and Chattanooga, TN. The Mozilla Gigabit Community Fund is now accepting applications from techies…
Google Fiber, KC entrepreneurship takes stage at White House
In a special event at the White House, Kansas City Mayor Sly James exalted area entrepreneurship and a startup community that grew as a result of the metro’s access to Google Fiber. Joining mayors from Boston and Fresno, Calif., for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, James stood at a White House podium touting the gigabit…
Pipeline announces 2016 fellowship class
The Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship announced Thursday night during its annual Innovator of the Year gala the tenth class of fellows in its leadership development program. The Kansas City-based organization is welcoming 13 entrepreneurs from the region, including six innovators from Missouri, five from Nebraska and two from Kansas. This year’s fellowship will hold program events…
Addressing a market gap, $25M seed fund arrives in Kansas City
Nearly a year after identifying an early-stage funding need in the area, a $25 million seed fund will open a Kansas City office that aims to boost local startups. With a Wednesday night intro at Polsinelli, the Royal Street Investment & Innovation Center will soon move into the Kansas City metro for its second fund. Founded…
An insider’s guide to the 2016 Pipeline IOTY
One of the region’s most highly-esteemed and exclusive events — Pipeline’s Innovator of the Year — is set for this Thursday in Kansas City. Attracting some of the most powerful businesspeople in the Midwest, IOTY is one part pitch competition, two parts black-tie gala and four parts party. It’s a cocktail of entrepreneurial energy, and…
Document: FarmLink raises additional $24.6M for ag tech
Ag tech startups in Kansas City are plowing a promising 2016. Kansas City-based FarmLink recently secured nearly $24.6 million in investment capital for its farming technology, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The company offers a suite of tech services for farmers, including analytics platform TrueHarvest and machinery sharing platform MachineryLink Sharing. TrueHarvest…
‘PayIt’ up: Kansas City gov tech startup registers $4.5M investment
Like the dozens of people around him, John Thomson’s 2013 wait at the Missouri Department of Motor Vehicles had him aggravated. It was such a pain — watching the queue slowly subside while working on his phone — that the entrepreneur did what innovators do: he built a company to alleviate the chore. Fast forward…