Latest Stories
Tech startup Bungii is your new friend with a truck
“Hey, can I borrow you and your truck this weekend?” It’s a question dreaded by truck owners everywhere, and in April of 2015, it made Ben Jackson regret ever buying his 1999 Ford Ranger. Jackson — and his truck — had just finished an exhausting day helping friends make four hauls across Manhattan, Kan. The…
Google Fiber hops to new, pricier plans for businesses
All good things — or in this case inexpensive things — must come to an end. Google Fiber will soon nix early-access pricing for its gigabit business service and will more than double its costs for new customers in August. Google Fiber — which first arrived in Kansas City in 2012 with residential service —…
Amazon to bring 1,000 jobs, huge facility to KCK
Online retail giant Amazon will open a massive new facility in Kansas City, Kan. The Seattle-based company announced Monday that it will create more than 1,000 full-time jobs and construct an 855,000-square-foot fulfillment facility near the Turner Diagonal on I-70 in Kansas City, Kan. “These aren’t just any jobs. They are the best entry-level jobs our…
Survey: KC is sticky for startups with equity funding
A majority of Kansas City startups choose to maintain their hometown roots after they raise capital — even when the funds come from outside investors, a recent survey found. Of the companies that raised money in 2013 and 2014, 74 percent of them are still active and headquartered in the City of Fountains, according to…
Ben Gruber: Kansas City is ‘tipping the cow town’
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Nearly every day I open my email to see a report telling me that Kansas City is on its way to reaching its goal of becoming the most entrepreneurial city in America. The “City of Royals” has been crowned everything from a top…
A marriage of Mr. K’s passions, ‘E Day at the K’ returns July 19
To say one of Kansas City’s greatest entrepreneurs — Ewing Marion Kauffman — loved baseball would be an understatement. The founder of Marion Laboratories Inc., Kauffman purchased the Royals in 1968 to bring America’s pastime to his beloved hometown, Kansas City. Along with boosting civic pride, the Royals became a model franchise, employing “moneyball” statistical…
Sprint Mentor Network triples its impact with local startups
More than 20 Kansas City founders are hoping to boost their businesses with a mentor program tapping a wealth of corporate experience. Now in its fourth year, the Sprint Mentor Network kicked off its program in July to support and accelerate startups by building relationships with corporate executives. The program is hosted at the Sprint…
Events Preview: KCVR Hackathon
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 The Lean Lab Friday Pitch Event When: July 8 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Where: Sprint Accelerator Every Friday, each team…
Continuing its hot streak, PayIt wins national pitch contest
Government tech startup PayIt is on a roll. Only weeks after a earning a commendation from Amazon, the Kansas City-based firm recently won a national pitch competition as part of the annual United States Conference of Mayors. PayIt’s mobile and web app that streamlines citizens’ financial interaction with government agencies beat out dozens of other…
Virtual reality hackathon to visualize next-generation ed tech tools
Move over, gamers, virtual reality isn’t just for you anymore. Kansas City will soon host its first-ever virtual reality hackathon, and it’s all about classroom education. The Kansas City Virtual Reality club — which brings together the area’s virtual reality enthusiasts — is challenging virtual- and augmented-reality aficionados to create applications that can help educators…
