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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More

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…

Read More