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Google Express offering delivery services in Kansas City

As part of a massive Midwestern expansion, Google Express is offering its services in Kansas City. Google announced Tuesday that it’s now offering delivery services to more than 40 million new Midwest customers after its debut in 2013.   Google Express — an online marketplace that connects shoppers with retailers — provides delivery services of…

[Update] KCK startup to pitch at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Monday

A graduate of the Sprint Mobile Accelerator is gearing up for a pitch on what’s arguably the biggest stage in the startup tech world. Based in Kansas City, Kan., Rex Animal Health is participating Monday evening in TechCrunch’s Disrupt San Francisco 2016 Startup Battlefield competition for a chance at winning $50,000 and the Disrupt Cup….

An innovation ‘bromance’ brews in Kansas City leadership

If a blossoming collaboration between two city leaders is any indication, innovation knows no borders in the Kansas City metro. Bob Bennett, chief innovation officer for Kansas City, Mo., and Alan Howze, chief knowledge office for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., both share a common goal: they believe that open…

Events Preview: Celebrate the Journey

There are a boatload of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter or curious Kansas Citian, we’d recommend these upcoming events for you. WEEKLY EVENT PREVIEW Second Fridays at Village Square When: September 9 @ 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm Where: Village Square Coworking Studio Second…

Coty Beasley: Digital divides threaten Kansas City’s future

Editor’s note: On a daily basis, Coty Beasley translates the jargon-filled world of technology for clients. The Words that Frustrate (WTF) series aims to offer readers some clarity in an industry dominated by techies’ confusing argot. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. By reading this article, you may be one of…

Westport Commons inks first investment fund tenant for huge shared workspace

One of Kansas City’s newest venture funds is making good on its promise to immerse itself in the world of startups. Only a few weeks after its debut, Kansas City-based Firebrand Ventures announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Plexpod to work directly alongside its entrepreneurs at what will be the world’s largest coworking…

Kauffman Foundation offers $25K via ‘1 in a Million’ contest

Think your business is one in a million? The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is offering 1 Million Cups presenters from the last year a chance to snag some cash — and this year they’ve bumped up the prize to $25,000. In its second year, the 1 in a Million competition is open to any firm…

Swanky downtown apartments to feature KC-made smart home tech

A $69 million office-to-apartment conversion project in Kansas City will soon feature new Internet-of-Things technology that its creators hope will become a model for the world of real estate. Amid a flood of development projects in downtown Kansas City, Sunflower Development Group and Block Real Estate Services are converting Traders on Grand — a 20-story…

KC startups nab first, second place in national contest

Two Kansas City startups recently reigned supreme in UPS’s inagural Midwest X-Port Challenge. Mobility Designed, a medical device company from Prairie Village, Kan. that is also a 2016 LaunchKC grant finalist, won first place. The startup has garnered international attention thanks a viral video featuring their futuristic crutches. Mobility Designed CEO Liliana Younger said that…

Striving to change KC culture, LiveKC launches app

Millennials now make up the largest portion of the working population. A generation growing up with fast-paced technology in hand, Kansas City will have to move quickly to keep ahead of the curve and to attract and retain young talent. In order to do that, the LiveKC initiative was born in order to make Kansas…