Bobby Burch
Recent Articles by Bobby Burch
Techstars firms to spread local roots via Brad Feld’s Kansas City home
More graduates of the Techstars-led Sprint Mobile Accelerator may be calling Kansas City home thanks to venture capitalist Brad Feld. Feld, co-founder of the international accelerator program Techstars, is making his Kansas City, Kan. home available to graduates of the local Techstars program rent free. “I’m very happy with how things have gone to date,”…
Kansas City dishes on diversity in the entrepreneurial community
It’s often said that two heads are better than one. But what if those two “heads” have the same socioeconomic, gender and racial compositions? What if their life experiences mirror one another so closely that they arrive at the same conclusions or generate the same general ideas? It’s no secret that diversity can foster the…
Funding roundtable (part II): Entrepreneurs compare KC investment scene to other cities
Welcome back to part two of our roundtable discussion on the early-stage investment sector in Kansas City. For a more formal introduction on this series and its five participants, please refer to part one on Kansas City’s investment culture and evolving economy. Check out the third and final installment of the series with the entrepreneurs’ advice for…
Funding roundtable: Kansas City still has a lot to learn about venture capital
After growing demand for more coverage on Kansas City’s early-stage investment capital landscape, Startland News decided to start a conversation on the subject. In November, we hosted five Kansas City entrepreneurs for a frank discussion on their experience raising funds in and outside of Kansas City. The aim of the conversation was to create a…
Changes here and on the horizon for Startland
You don’t have to be a fan of 1970s rock legend David Bowie for these Changes. Startland News is in the midst of an evolution to better serve readers and to maximize its impact in Kansas City. A number of changes have already taken place, and many more are on the horizon. We’re a startup,…
FitBark: Missouri pooches are the most active dogs
Kansas City-based tech firm FitBark recently released an in-depth, interactive map plotting the vast array of data it collects on dogs around the world. The company, which relocated to Kansas City after completing the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator program in 2014, opened its database to the public, sharing a trove of insights into canine health…
Smart City board discusses data privacy concerns, kiosks’ content
Creating value for citizens and openness to adaptive but privacy-conscious data policies were at the forefront of Kansas City’s Smart City board meeting Monday morning. About 20 people attended the year’s final meeting of the Smart City Advisory Board, which was formed in August to guide the $15.7 million, public-private tech project in downtown Kansas…
One of Helzberg’s greatest ideas was resurrected from the trash
As charismatic as he is ornery, Barnett Helzberg recently charmed a few dozen entrepreneurs as part of Startup Grind Kansas City. Formerly CEO of Helzberg Diamonds, Helzberg shared with attendees an array of entertaining stories while leisurely pacing the stage and sipping a Boulevard Wheat beer. Here are a few of the stories he told….
The ‘world’s biggest coworking studio’ is coming to Kansas City
Hoping to capitalize on a homegrown, entrepreneurial Renaissance, the new Westport Commons project will soon house what’s being billed as the largest coworking studio on earth. Kansas City Sustainable Development Partners has partnered with Lenexa-based coworking studio Plexpod to redevelop the 160,000 square-foot Westport Middle School into a coworking space. The school — located on the…
Blooom wins Kauffman Foundation pitch bout, $10K
Can anything stop Blooom? Continuing its streak of wins and successes, the financial tech firm on Wednesday morning won a national pitch contest at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Leawood-based Blooom beat out four other finalists in the inaugural One in a Million pitch contest, which initially drew more than 350 applicants. Blooom survived several…