Latest Stories

Kansas City Developers Conference cultivates community among techies

Hundreds of hardcore techies are gearing up for one of Kansas City’s largest gatherings of developers. The eighth-annual Kansas City Developers Conference is expecting more than 1,300 attendees from regional corporations, startups and universities on June 22. With a focus on building the Kansas City community, the conference features loads of workshops, panel discussions and…

startup families

Startup life and your marriage: Dan Schmidt dives in

Editor’s Note: Dan and Gina Schmidt agreed to share their experience of how startup life has changed their relationship and family. Check in Thursday to hear Gina’s perspective. Opinions expressed this commentary are the author’s alone.   Being a husband, father and founder has stretched me in ways I never would have imagined.   At…

From Slavic studies to coding, LaunchCode helps Kansas Citian find new career

It’s been in Kansas City only four months, but LaunchCode is already making an impact. The St. Louis-based non-profit organization arrived in February to grow Kansas City’s tech sector by organically building its pool of talent. LaunchCode helps educate locals with an interest in changing careers to work in tech, and then connects them with…

Jeff Blackwood Pathfinder Health

CEO: Kansas’ politics pushed Pathfinder Innovations into Missouri

Destructive economic and social policies in Kansas compelled Pathfinder Health Innovations’ move to the Show Me State, its founder wrote in a blog post critical of state leaders. A tech service provider for people with autism, Pathfinder received tax incentives for its border hop to Missouri but Pathfinder CEO Jeff Blackwood said the move also…

WonderWe faith-based crowdfunding

WonderWe launches faith-based crowdfunding platform

Kansas City-based software startup WonderWe hopes to tap a specific market for its new faith-based crowdfunding platform. Launched in early June, WonderWe combines faith-based values, the latest in crowdfunding tech and new proprietary features to “be one of the leading names” in crowdfunding, said Dominic Ismert, founder of WonderWe. The platform currently accepts fundraisers for…

Katie Boody Carrie Markel Lean Lab

Dying schools taught Katie Boody how to build

Editor’s note: Katie Boody is a co-founder of The Lean Lab, a Kansas City-based education incubator that helps educators create and implement innovative ideas in schools to help students. The Lean Lab co-founder Carrie Markel contributed to this piece. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Both the schools I taught at are…

The Lean Lab will award $100K to education entrepreneurs

Local efforts to inject innovation into education received a boost Friday as The Lean Lab announced fellows in its incubator program will earn seed capital for their projects aimed at disrupting traditional learning.   Founded in 2013, The Lean Lab welcomed five new teams of fellows from around the nation for its incubator, which develops…

‘Kansas City Startup House’ aims to be smart home incubator

A local tech founder is transforming his Kansas City, Kan., home to eventually become the area’s next incubator program. Sports Photos founder Brandon Schatz recently launched the “Kansas City Startup Home” to host entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world. While it’s now serving as an Airbnb destination for techies, Schatz said in the next…

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation startup growth

Kauffman Foundation analyzes Kansas City’s startup growth

What does startup community success look like? Often one hears buzzwords like “vibrant,” “supportive” and “close-knit” — standards by which nearly any community can label itself successful. But since it’s nearly impossible to objectively measure those terms, a startup community’s success is instead frequently evaluated through funding and exits. That ignores the fact that most…

Events Preview: Second Fridays, WordCamp KC

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 When: June 10 @ 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm Where: Village Square Coworking Studio We’ll provide games & cards….