George Brooks

co-founder of Crema

Recent Articles by George Brooks

Welcome to Startland News

May 2, 2015

Scrappy. Determined. Gritty. Those often were the words attributed to the Kansas City Royals as the team unexpectedly surged into the 2014 World Series and captured the national spotlight. Those very words are apt for this city, which has been built on the grit and determination of successful entrepreneurs like Ewing Kauffman, Joyce Hall, Henry…

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Kansas budget woes render uncertainty for angel tax credits

May 2, 2015

As state budgetary concerns loom in the background, early-stage firms in Kansas are hoping a bill to extend the Sunflower State’s Angel Investor Tax Credit program will become a priority for legislators. Scheduled to sunset after the 2016 fiscal year, the program annually allocates $6 million in credits to entice investments in early-stage, growth-oriented companies…

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KC virtual reality firm partners with KU, NFL coaches

May 2, 2015

A Kansas City-based virtual reality company hopes some marquee partnerships will plug it into a market projected to reach $150 billion in five years. Founded in 2013, Eon Sports VR recently landed the University of Kansas football team as a client for its mobile virtual reality platform to help players train without the risk of…

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ECJC relocates office, updates brand

May 1, 2015

The Enterprise Center in Johnson County is shaking things up. The non-profit organization that connects entrepreneurs to the resources they need to grow revealed Thursday an updated website, brand identity, and new office location. “This move is the culmination of a long, strategic transition to ensure that as Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community changes, we change…

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Former Sprint COO LeMay dishes on KC capital, failure

May 1, 2015

There are few people in Kansas City more connected into the area’s investor, corporate and startup community than FarmLink CEO Ron LeMay. Also now managing director of Kansas City-based OpenAir Equity Partners, LeMay frequently sees the successes and failures of the metro area’s capital landscape. The former Sprint COO recently spoke with dozens of Kansas…

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RFP365 partners with Kansas City, raises $950K

May 1, 2015

On the heels of a six-figure raise, area tech firm RFP365 recently landed the City of Kansas City as a client for its software that eases the request for proposal process. The company’s deal with Kansas City was born from the city’s “Innovation Partnership” program, which affords entrepreneurs the opportunity to “test drive” their technologies…

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Study: Gov should take long-term approach to grow new businesses

May 1, 2015

A recent study by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation reports that while governments have long supported entrepreneurship, new business creation is waning. The study — Guidelines for Local and State Governments to Promote Entrepreneurship — found that new businesses comprised about 8 percent of all U.S. businesses in 2011, down from roughly 15 percent in the…

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Kansas City’s Innovation Partnership program to expand

April 30, 2015

Kansas City’s program to streamline the integration of technologies into City Hall is set to expand in hopes of attracting more entrepreneurial participation. The City of Fountain’s Innovation Partnership program plans to ramp up marketing and resources to welcome more companies hoping to test drive their technologies with the city, said Ashley Hand, Kansas City’s…

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Mid-America Angels race for record-setting investment year

April 30, 2015

After investing nearly $1 million in the first quarter of 2015, regional investment network Mid-America Angels is on pace for its best year yet. Mid-America Angels injected $870,000 of funding into two area companies during the first three months of 2015, which sets it on a pace to surpass $3 million in investments for the…

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