Opinion Stories
Dickson: Kansas City’s ‘show me’ mentality is stagnating its startups
Editor’s note: Net-zero home-building startup Acre Designs, which found its start in Kansas City, recently entered the world’s best business accelerator program: Y Combinator. After facing a tepid investor market in Kansas City, the company will be staying in the San Francisco area after the program’s conclusion. Kansas City fosters an enviable work ethic, steady…
The WTF series: 6 common computing languages
On a daily basis, Ben Kittrell translates the jargon-filled world of technology for clients of his tech consultancy. The Words that Frustrate (WTF) series aims to offer readers some clarity in an industry dominated by techies’ confusing argot. If you want to see a bloodbath, lock a .NET and a Java programmer in the…
Letter to the editor: What are Kansas City startups doing to connect with universities?
Editor’s note: The following letter was submitted to Startland News by Ben Williams, assistant director of the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The letter is in response to Startland Community Builder Adam Arredondo’s open letter to area universities on their engagement with the entrepreneurial community. Dear Adam, I’ve…
Roberts: Goal-setting is more than making a plan
I recently wrote a post about why I’m not setting a New Year’s resolution for 2016. In that post, I wondered if it’s time to try setting some real goals again after years of superficial goal setting and performance reviews left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve been thinking a lot about how I…
5 reasons your startup isn’t attracting investors
Last week, Techstars managing director John Fein told us that one of the main complaints he hears from Kansas City investors is that there aren’t enough fundable startups. Investors may be right, but it’s not necessarily a lack of good ideas. Today, Kansas City investors are looking for more than the next big idea: they’re…
