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Pear Deck student engagement tech grows with KC expansion

Kansas City is apparently a fertile area for burgeoning education tech startups. Iowa City-based Pear Deck recently opened a Kansas City office to help develop a sales team for its student engagement platform. And Kansas City’s history in supporting successful education tech firms helped Pear Deck leaders make the expansion decision. Pear Deck CEO Riley…

Brexit

What ‘Brexit’ can teach us about startups

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Zach and Andrew are both financial tech professionals at blooom. If you watch any financial news or follow anyone besides the Kardashians on Twitter, you probably heard that the U.K. faced its own version of armageddon when it recently voted itself out of…

Joshua Montgomery

Joshua Montgomery: KC poised to be IoT-powered smart city leader

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Most of the people I ask about the Internet of Things — or IoT — respond with visions of network-connected light bulbs or water sensors for their basements. They talk about fitness trackers or connected thermostats that help reduce energy costs. To me,…

Never say die: KC forges ahead with bold transportation plan

Kansas City’s bold ambitions for a next-generation transportation system may be down — but they’re not out. On June 22, Kansas City received news that it lost out on a $50 million award that would’ve revolutionized its transportation system. More than 120 public and private leaders collaborated on Kansas City’s pitch for the “Beyond Traffic,…

KCSourceLink: Improving startups’ access to capital ‘a marathon, not a sprint’

A year ago, KCSourceLink discovered that area early-stage investors need more connections with each other and the startups they fund. To that end, the entrepreneurial resource hub on Tuesday rallied an array of major investment groups that target startups in Kansas City, building the foundation of a more connected capital community. In total, 15 local…

Events Preview: Lean Lab Friday Pitch Event

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 1 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Where: Sprint Accelerator Every Friday, each…

Missouri Tech Corp. dishes $375K to Kansas City startups

Two Kansas City startups are among a dozen firms in Missouri that have received a total of $2.1 million from the Missouri Technology Corporation. Kansas City-based tech firms PopBookings and Moblico both nabbed matching funds — $300,000 and $75,000 respectively — from the MTC that will boost their operations. “We are supporting Missouri’s thriving innovation…

Science City merger to bolster local STEM education

Officials leading the merger of two non-profit science organizations hope their combined efforts will translate to more STEM professionals in Kansas City. A science museum, Union Station’s Science City is merging with Kansas City-based Science Pioneers to offer complementary science events, activities and programs. The merger — which will be complete July 1 — aims…

$10M earmarked for Kansas City tech talent development

Kansas City’s Full Employment Council is doubling down on its efforts to train techies. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu is visiting Kansas City Wednesday as part of the FEC’s announcement that it earned a $5 million grant to train young adults in IT, healthcare, financial services and advanced manufacturing. And thanks to matching…

North Kansas City to receive area’s largest coworking studio

North Kansas City will soon boast the metro’s largest coworking facility. The first shared workspace in North Kansas City, iWerx’s massive 33,000-square-feet facility is scheduled to open in July for entrepreneurs hoping to work in a community of innovators. iWerx also will house a business incubator that hopes foster entrepreneurial vibrancy in North Kansas City….