Opinion Stories
Jon Kohrs unpacks the cultural traffic jam in ‘corporate startups,’ intrapreneurship
Editor’s note: Jon Kohrs is the leader of two corporate startup teams, driving innovation and intrapreneurship at Damascus Edge. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. There are several established Kansas City companies “going startup.” Faced with startup competitors disrupting their industries, they’ve had to ask themselves how to remix the power of…
What do 1 Million Cups presenters reveal about KC’s entrepreneurial community?
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Every Wednesday morning in Kansas City and 91 other cities nationwide, one or two early-stage startups present a six-minute profile of their companies to a diverse audience, followed by 20 minutes of open Q&A. I recently reviewed 51 presentations delivered at 1 Million Cups…
Investor John Fein offers 8 tips to hook a VC
Editor’s Note: John Fein recently announced his departure from Techstars to lead a new $7 million venture fund. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. For the past three Techstars programs in Kansas City, the most important aspect of my job as managing director has been deciding which companies to invite into…
Louis Byrd: Are white women now the face of diversity?
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Diversity means different things to different people. For some folks, hearing the word diversity automatically equates to affirmative action and minorities taking jobs away from qualified white men. For others, it simply implies race or ethnicity. Then there’s those who believe it is…
Beasley: How will smart city infrastructure reflect KC’s aspirations?
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Reality is often stranger than fiction, and even harder to predict. Will our cities march toward the dizzying New, New York of Futurama’s 30th century; the harsh, crowded streets of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner; or even the consumerist, transhumanist society of Warren Ellis’…
