Government Stories

KC Smart City wins ‘Oscar of Innovation,’ a gold Edison Award

Validating a bold technology plan by a variety of public and private organizations, Kansas City’s Smart City initiative recently won a prestigious Edison Award for innovation. The City of Kansas City, Mo., Sprint, Cisco, Think Big Partners and other organizations won a gold award in the category of connected collaboration from the Edison Awards in…

PayIt lands partnership with the Sunflower State

Financial tech startup PayIt announced Monday that it will work with the Sunflower State as its innovation partner.  The Kansas City-based firm will work with Kansas’ Office of Information Technology Services, offering its web and mobile app that streamlines financial interactions between citizens and government agencies. PayIt CEO John Thomson said he’s excited to partner…

Kansas City city hall

Calling startups: KCMO wants to find new innovation partners

The City of Kansas City, Mo. is once again looking for entrepreneurs to help develop new innovations to improve the quality and efficiency of city services. The city is now accepting applications for its Innovation Partnership Program, which is now in its third year of working with entrepreneurs from around the world. The program offers…

With data pouring in, leaders discuss what’s next for the Smart City

As Kansas City’s Smart City initiative wraps up its first phase, advisory board members on Monday began looking to the future of the public-private project. Since the initiative’s launch in 2016, the City of Kansas City, Mo. has established itself as a leader in smart city infrastructure, KCMO innovation analyst Kate Garman said. But while…

Area experts dive into uncertainty and hope for immigrant entrepreneurship

Now more than ever, it’s important for the community to come together to gain new perspectives. That notion was a driving force behind the February Innovation Exchange in which Startland News dove into the subject of immigration and entrepreneurship. Hosted in partnership with Think Big, the event welcomed a researcher and a policy expert from…