Startups Stories

Photos: Take a look at Virgin Mobile USA’s startup-like office space

Many in the Kansas City startup community often call upon corporations to better engage with earlier stage entrepreneurs. Virgin Mobile USA wants to flip that script, said Justin Scott, Virgin Mobile director of communications. Despite being a subsidiary of Sprint Corporation and backed by billionaire investor Richard Branson, the firm — which selected Kansas City for…

After shootings, ‘It’s most important to keep the public safe,’ Smart City leaders say

Citizens expect public safety from their city government to encompass such basics as sidewalks and water, Bob Bennett said. And for that reason, improving public safety must be a top concern for smart city projects around the nation, the chief innovation officer at the City of Kansas City, Missouri, added. “We have to provide the…

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Kauffman report: KC ranks 28 out of 40 in entrepreneurial growth

Fewer Kansas City companies are growing to become medium- or large-sized firms, according to a report released Thursday by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. It’s a common story across the U.S., as the nation rebounds from the slump of the Great Recession, the report says. The 2017 Kauffman Index of Growth Entrepreneurship report suggests the…

LaunchCode

LaunchCode wins MIT Innovation challenge, $150K award

LaunchCode, a nonprofit that bolsters the tech workforces in St. Louis and Kansas City by offering free but rigorous coding courses, was recently recognized for its innovative approach to reinventing the future of work. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced that LaunchCode is a grand prize winner of its 2017 Inclusive Innovation Challenge, awarding the…

Pipeline receives up to $2M from Kauffman Foundation grant

Pipeline Entrepreneurs announced Tuesday that the fellowship program is deepening its relationship with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and receiving a challenge grant of more than $2 million over the next four years. The grant amount is dependent upon private fundraising with the foundation matching dollar-for-dollar, a release said. Launched in 2006, Pipeline offers an…