Bobby Burch
Recent Articles by Bobby Burch
Listen: Behind the scenes interview with Hyperloop One exec on Missouri plan
By now you’ve likely seen that Missouri is a top five favorite to land a Virgin Hyperloop One route. If built in Missouri, the tubular transportation system would move people from Kansas City to St. Louis in 30 minutes, creating a mega-region that combines the state’s biggest cities, said Dan Katz, director of global public…
Hyperloop One exec: KC route would create ‘mega-region’ along I-70
When you’re hoping to move people and freight at near subsonic speeds, it pays to be straightforward. At least that’s the case for Virgin Hyperloop One, which announced Tuesday it has embarked on the feasibility study of a high-speed route that would connect Kansas City and St. Louis in about 30 minutes. “It’s a very…
Surging investment network Mid-America Angels announces new director
Nebraska angel investment leader Laura McCoolidge Classen is the new managing director of Kansas City-based Mid-America Angels. Classen, who most recently served for five years as the director of Nebraska Angels, succeeds Rick Vaughn, MAA’s founding managing director. Vaughn will continue working with MAA on a part-time basis. “I enjoyed working with many colleagues in…
Former Google, Uber exec running for office in Kansas
Mapping expert Brian McClendon is plotting a route to the Kansas State Capitol. The former Google and Uber executive on Monday launched his candidacy for Kansas secretary of state, a role that would task him with administering state elections and voter registration. Currently, a research professor at the University of Kansas, McClendon co-founded the tech…
Truck hailing tech firm Bungii straps down $3M in oversubscribed round
Ben Jackson and his team were so determined to meet their fundraising goal they didn’t notice they crushed it. “One day, we looked up and realized that we were already substantially oversubscribed,” said Jackson, co-founder of Bungii. “We’re super excited and thankful for it. … Our team attacked that goal hard.” Bungii — which created…
2018 Startups to Watch: Bardavon takes action in dysfunctional health care system
Editor’s note: Startland News selected the top Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2018’s companies. To view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch, click here. Matt Condon is no Shakespeare, he said. But one quote from William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII has always…
2018 Startups to Watch: RFP365 grows its Fortune 500 client base from KC roots
Editor’s note: Startland News selected the top Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2018’s companies. To view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch, click here. Ranking just behind root canals and color-coding a walk-in closet, the painstaking process of managing requests for…
Kansas City startups to watch in 2018
Within Kansas City’s startup community, one question remains as confounding as it is combustible. “What is a startup?” Purists say it’s a disruptive tech firm. Egalitarians maintain the term applies to any early-stage business. Others ask another question: Who cares? The answers — debated in spirited fashion in national media, on Kansas City discussion boards and…
2018 Startups to Watch: Rx Savings Solutions prescribes answer to high drug costs
Editor’s note: Startland News selected the top Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2018’s companies. To view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch, click here. When it comes to U.S. prescription drugs, it appears there’s one certainty: Prices are going up —…
Mycroft AI inks $1.75M in oversubscribed round, battling Amazon, Google
In a quiet room amid the chaos of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Mycroft AI CEO Josh Montgomery gleefully told Startland News Friday that his tech firm raised a significant seed round. Mycroft recently raised a $1.75 million round that will help the Kansas City-based artificial intelligence startup accelerate hiring plans and corporate…