Startups Stories

Techstars Kansas City announces inaugural class

To the delight of its leader, Techstars Kansas City’s first class has a hearty local flavor. Techstars KC on Monday welcomed 10 tech firms — five of which hail from Kansas and Missouri — for its three-month, mentor-led program that rapidly accelerates startup companies. With ambitions to transform the companies into global tech titans, Techstars KC…

HEMP is seeking qualified mentors, mentees for its 2017 class

Barnett Helzberg’s entrepreneurial program is seeking qualified applicants for both mentors and mentees. The Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program (HEMP) will accept up to 25 mentees from the greater Kansas City area for the class of 2017. Whether you run a scale up or a startup business, the program vows to match up successful entrepreneurs, creating…

SoftBank’s $100B fund manager: Kansas City is a place people want to stay

SoftBank Capital managing partner Ron Fisher recently said he’s open to deploying some of the $100 billion fund he helps manage in the Midwest, including Kansas City. In an interview with VentureBeat, Fisher discussed Tokyo-based SoftBank’s bold plans to dish some $50 billion in venture capital to U.S. firms and thereby create 50,000 jobs. SoftBank…

Fund Me, KC: KCGeoLab is bringing geographical science, open data to the mainstream

Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its new segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses.  This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to share their stories to gain a little help from their supporters. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by contacting news@startlandnews.com  Who are you?…

Focused on KC, the Lean Lab welcomes five new ed tech startups

The Lean Lab, a Kansas City-based education tech accelerator, is returning for its fourth year with a new approach that aims to be more community focused and sophisticated. During a Tuesday event, the Lean Lab announced the five new startups in its 2017 cohort at a breakfast at the recently renovated Corrigan Station. Katie Boody,…