News Stories
H&R Block must reconnect with startup energy, innovation, CEO Jeff Jones says
Jeff Jones’ journey to Kansas City — winding through hangouts with popstar Justin Timberlake, dinner with Oprah, and a stint driving one of the world’s most dominant sharing economy companies — has been transformative, the H&R Block CEO said. And if the homegrown corporate juggernaut he now leads is to meet its stretch potential, the…
From Cake to Google: Musician-turned-tech leader composes career between keyboards
Well into a music career — but noticing friends who were still trying to find gigs to make ends meet — Ben Morss faced a life-altering pivot. “I got sick of it and I turned to programming full time,” said Morss, a developer advocate at Google. “As a musician, I was trying to call people…
Idle Smart posts Series A round with KCRise Fund, multimillion-dollar investment support
A multi-million dollar investment round has Kansas City-grown Idle Smart revving its engine and accelerating toward rapid growth in 2019, revealed Jeff Lynch, company president. “I think it’s a reflection of what the team has been able to create over the past few years,” Lynch said of Idle Smart’s completion of a milestone Series A…
LaunchKC winner Erkios: Hacking attacks will come from inside — Fortifi intellectual property
Tinkering with old technology defined childhood for Philip Van Der Straeten, COO of Kansas City tech startup Erkios Systems. Such adventures could one day provide a nationwide payoff for his company, he said. “Our organization was built by tinkerers and critical thinkers attempting to break things down and get a better grasp of what they…
WISE Power generates plans for 9,000-square-foot entertainment lounge at Hy-Vee Arena
Hy-Vee Arena is the perfect place for a WISE Power demo site, said Brittany Williams, but it also is an opportunity to bring innovative leisure to Kansas City. The startup’s new showroom doubles as an entertainment lounge providing food, drink and virtual reality. “We figured we needed demo space — like the Tesla space on…
