Latest Stories
No folly for Techstars KC startups declaring growth at demo day (photo gallery)
Traction, new pilot tests and funding rounds were among the milestones met and revealed by a handful of Techstars KC startups at the accelerator’s inaugural demo day celebration. The 2017 Techstars KC class features a variety of industries — from edtech and artificial intelligence to virtual reality and food. Five of the 10 companies hail from…
Is KC enough for Amazon? Pros and cons
Correction: An earlier version of this story used an incorrect figure for Kansas City streetcar ridership. It has since been corrected to reflect the system’s more than 3 million riders. Kansas City wants Amazon. But does the online retail giant want KC? With only a few days remaining before the deadline to submit proposals for…
Deadlines approach for $100K, $500K co-investment opportunities for MO startups
It’s easy to form an idea. It’s more difficult to take it to market. The Missouri Tech Corporation’s IDEA Funds seek to facilitate the commercialization process for high-tech Missouri technologies, via a variety of co-investment opportunities. The IDEA Funds divide financing into four components that correspond to four stages of growth for entrepreneurs, from pre-investment…
Mayor’s Office delivers #KC5stars campaign to woo Amazon HQ2
The request for proposal can wait. Kansas City Mayor Sly James is delivering Amazon 1,000 reasons to build its second headquarters in the City of Fountains via a host of product reviews on the online retailer’s site. A label maker, flashlight and fishing net were among the items James reviewed to promote various aspects of…
KC female STEM leader: Sexual harassment in the workplace is ‘far too rampant’
Society must empower women in the face of harassment, Elizabeth Loboa said. “Sexual harassment is not something that happens just because you’re good at your job,” said Loboa, dean and professor of Bioengineering at the University of Missouri. “It happens at all levels and at all ages. It happens to our female students across this…
Mayor Sly James teases Amazon headquarters announcement
An enigmatic message from Kansas City Mayor Sly James is stoking intrigue regarding the area effort to land Amazon’s second headquarters. At about 7 a.m. Wednesday, James tweeted, “I’ve been busy online shopping. Find out why at 3 p.m.” The message included a photo of James surrounded by Amazon boxes. I’ve been busy online shopping….
KCK police capture $842K safety tech grants for body cams, street network
It’s a 21st-century approach to fighting crime, Mayor Mark Holland said. About $842,000 in federal public safety technology grants are expected to help equip Kansas City, Kansas, police officers with body cameras and build out a network of real-time, street cameras. “These grants advance one of my top priorities as mayor: to give our police…
Venture capital pitch event InvestMidwest seeks high-growth applicants
High-growth companies interested in pitching their firm to hundreds of investors can now apply to present their business at the InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum. The 19th annual forum will be held in St. Louis on March 28 and 29, 2018. The event is expected to draw more than 300 investors and entrepreneurs across the Midwest,…
Techstars Spotlight: Hanzo’s e-commerce tools designed to make you money
When a small business uploads its products to a third party e-commerce platform like Amazon, it’s giving away control, David Tai said. “With things like Etsy and Amazon, it’s very hard to communicate and build your brand because you’re building your brand on their platform,” said Tai, CTO of Hanzo. “Your products are next to…
‘Badasses’ at Women’s Capital Connection double dollars invested since 2015
More women in Kansas City are realizing the valuable opportunities offered by early-stage investing — and it’s translating into significant growth for the Women’s Capital Connection. The regional investment network has grown not only its number of member investors by about 40 percent in the past three years, but also has more than doubled the…
