Latest Stories
Williams to critical Bloomberg piece: KC shouldn’t try to be Silicon Valley
Editor’s note: The following piece is in response to a Bloomberg article critical of the Kansas City Startup Village and Kansas City’s ability to use Google Fiber to become the “next Silicon Valley.” Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. In 2012, Kansas City experienced what at the time must have felt like winning…
KC Outpost, local charm lures hundreds of SXSW attendees
Kansas City made a splash at the SXSW Conference thanks to a concerted effort to engage thousands mingling in downtown Austin. Led by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, LaunchKC, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Husch Blackwell, the KC Outpost welcomed hundreds of people curious to learn more about the area. Featuring speakers,…
Integrated Roadways founder featured on CNN as autonomous vehicle expert
A Kansas City startup founder recently was featured on CNN as an industry expert for his knowledge on autonomous vehicles and the infrastructure that can support them. After being discovered via a weekend panel discussion at the SXSW Conference, Integrated Roadways founder Tim Sylvester recently was hosted on CNN’s Quest Means Money show. Sylvester’s startup…
KU event to connect hundreds of students with KC startups
To boost Kansas City’s growing startup community, the University of Kansas is hosting an event hoping to connect students with future employer prospects. Set for 2:00 p.m. on April 11, the KU Startup Job and Internship Fair expects to host about 200 students and over 20 area startups to connect and learn from presentations. The…
With cocktails in hand, VergeKC kicks off its high-growth tech startup series
An Indianapolis-based event series aimed at cultivating high-growth tech companies outside of Silicon Valley debuted its inaugural event in Kansas City on Tuesday. Verge — which hosts pitch forums in 11 Midwestern and southern metros — has a mission to accelerate community entrepreneurs through a curated approach that targets specific people and companies. Kansas City hub director…
Arredondo: Our education system is creating an army of unemployable people
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the commentary are the author’s alone. I have good and bad news. The good news? There are more than 5,700,000 jobs available in the United States as you read this — the most jobs available at any time in the history of our country. The bad news? As of 2012,…
Events Preview: Verge Pitch night, Yael Hochberg
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Are you hosting a relevant community event? Feel free to add it to the FWD/KC calendar for increased exposure. Once your event…
VR startup EON Sports lands pro Japanese baseball team
Kansas City-based virtual reality company EON Sports snagged its first international client. The firm has partnered with the professional Japanese baseball team Yokohama DeNA Baystars and will bring its 360 baseball training simulator to the athletes this 2017 season. Founded in 2013, the firm developed a mobile, virtual reality platform to help football and baseball…
Former U.S. Labor official Chris Lu: KC can teach Trump how to create jobs
Editor’s note: Chris Lu served as the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor during the Obama Administration, and he is now a Senior Fellow at the University of Virginia Miller Center. The opinions in this commentary are the author’s alone. For all of Donald Trump’s bluster about his job creation abilities, this week will provide one of…
National tech event series Verge coming to Kansas City
A national tech event firm that aims to cultivate community excitement and awareness around innovation is set to launch in Kansas City on March 14. Verge has selected Kansas City as its next locale for its monthly pitch event series in which the firm will host tech startups that will present their firms to a…
