News Stories

Video: Sprint Accelerator firms deliver elevator pitches

Startland News, along with the Kansas City community, was able to mix and mingle with the current cohort of startups at the Kansas City-based Sprint Accelerator. In a Wednesday night event at the accelerator — located in the Crossroads Arts District — ten startup founders also quickly pitched their tech firms’ missions. The accelerator program, led…

smart city summit

Inaugural smart city summit eyes the future of public safety

How can technology improve the safety of a city? That subject and more will be discussed during the upcoming Smart City Tech Summit, which will host dozens of government officials and public safety professionals from around the U.S. The summit — set to take place March 29 through March 31 — will focus on the…

Kansas’ angel tax credits sprint to legal finish line

The Kansas House of Representatives nearly unanimously agreed that the state’s Angel Investor Tax Credits program must continue to boost early-stage businesses. The House voted 122 to 3 in favor of a measure that will extend the life of the $6 million program until 2021. Angel investor tax credits, which are set to expire in 2016,…

Shawnee native sells another startup for over $1B with GM deal

General Motors is hoping to become the leader of self-driving car technology with the gargantuan acquisition of Cruise Automation, whose founder has a local tie.   GM announced on March 11 that it purchased Cruise for more than $1 billion in a move that aims to accelerate the development of GM’s autonomous vehicle tech. Cruise…

Kansas’ angel tax credits score first victory but hurdles remain

A bill extending Kansas’ popular Angel Investor Tax Credits scored its first victory Thursday, but legislators must make quick work of the measure if the program is to survive. The Kansas House Committee on Taxation unanimously approved a measure to continue the program, which offers accredited investors a tax credit of up to $50,000 on…