Latest Stories
The 2017 Battle of the Brands set to kick off
Along with dozens of participating companies around the metro area, KCSourceLink is gearing up for its 2017’s Battle of the Brands competition. Battle of the Brands is a bracket-style competition that pits Kansas City businesses against each other — only one will reign as the “Aristo of Entrepreneurship.” Its purpose? To shine a light on…
Quickly-growing HipHire to launch app for part-timers
A startup facilitating part-time job placement is finding traction. Launched in 2015, HipHire digitally matches people looking for and offering part-time gigs. HipHire founder Brian Kearns wanted there to be a solution that was “a step up from CraigsList” that the public could rely on to find quality jobs. Kearns said that over 1,000 job matches have…
Events Preview: ECJC series, KC Roundtable
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. Weekly Events Preview January KCDUG Meetup When: Jan. 31, 6:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m. Where: VML This month Eric Gruber is going to…
Life Equals raises $780K, opens larger West Bottoms office
Health supplement startup Life Equals is the latest firm to outgrow the entrepreneurial hamlet known as the Kansas City Startup Village. Thanks to a growing team, the Lenexa-based company — which sells vitamins and supplement products — is ditching its quaint 900-square-foot office in the village to create a spacious 3,700-square-foot event space in the…
Greitens’ budget cuts ding Missouri, KC entrepreneurship efforts
A series of state budget cuts by Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens will directly impact Kansas City entrepreneurship. The sweeping $146.4 million rollback of the Show Me State’s budget will cut funds from both the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Free Enterprise Center and Missouri Technology Corporation. Greitens’ plan will cut about $3.3 million from the enterprise…
Rick Usher: How coffee shop culture fuels KC’s startup ecosystem
Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Coffee shops play a significant role in the growing success of Kansas City’s startup community. Back in September, Startland News readers offered their top picks for best coffee shops for meetings and I’m taking off on that topic now to dig deeper into the…
LaunchKC grants contest to offer $100K grand prize in 2017
Kansas City’s popular grants competition LaunchKC has raised the stakes for applicants in 2017. Instead of allocating $500,000 via 10 equally-sized grants, LaunchKC will dish out eight awards of $50,000 and one $100,000 grand prize. In 2016, LaunchKC drew more than 400 tech startup applicants for the second year in a row. Applications open on…
Three tips to landing in the Techstars KC accelerator
Techstars new local accelerator is on the lookout for ten tech companies to join the Kansas City accelerator’s inaugural class. In an effort to cull suitable applicants, Techstars KC managing director Lesa Mitchell recently shared some of the top traits the program is looking for in companies. “The Techstars team in Kansas City is…
Photo gallery: Pipeline pitches and the Innovators gala
Pipeline Entrepreneurs celebrated 10 years in style Thursday at the Midland Theater. Check out this photo gallery of the organization’s pitch contest and gala. For more: Here’s a feature story on the gala. Here’s a news story on the award winners. Here’s more background on the organization and its leader, Joni Cobb.
Glitter and gratitude: Pipeline celebrates a decade of family in style
Glitz and glam; bold and gold; audacious and, more than ever, gracious. Each January, powerhouse businesspeople from around the Midwest venture to Kansas City to see if Pipeline Entrepreneurs can once again top its enchanting evening of entrepreneurial energy, now known as the Innovators. Hosted at the Midland Theater, the gala is a veritable smorgasbord…
