Techweek KC aims for significant growth in 2016

With aggressive goals in mind, Techweek Kansas City is ramping up excitement for its second-annual festival of innovation and entrepreneurship in the City of Fountains. The national tech conference and media firm hosted a countdown party Monday in downtown Kansas City in which Techweek CEO Amanda Signorelli said she hopes to top the festival’s inaugural…

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Dignity and a dollar: The Grooming Project empowers KC mothers

Natasha Kirsch believes that a living wage does more than provide people with money. That’s why she founded Empowering the Parent to Empower the Child (EPEC), a non-profit that helps young mothers in poverty find higher-paying jobs and become self-reliant in the process. And to achieve that mission, Kirsch is kickstarting an effort that not…

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Jeff Blackwood’s 5 tips to capitalize on a viral success

Jeff Blackwood Pathfinder Health

Editor’s note: On June 13, Jeff Blackwood shared an open letter on why his company, Pathfinder Health Innovations, is leaving Kansas due to state policies’ effect on education, healthcare and people with developmental disabilities. Startland News was the first to report on the story, which soon after attracted national media attention. The last month has…

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LaunchKC snags hundreds of hungry applicants

The popular grants competition LaunchKC again was met with an enthusiastic response by applicants. The competition — which will distribute $500,000 via 10, $50,000 non-dilutive grants — drew more than 400 tech startup applicants for the second year in a row. A panel of judges are now combing through the applications to find the top…

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Grant Gooding: Your wimpy brand needs to pick a fight

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Think about your three biggest competitors. … Got ‘em? Now, what do you say when a potential customer asks you why they should do business with you instead of them? More often than not your response contains subjective and ineffective language. You say…

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