Latest Stories
Built on speed, grown through community: The Kansas City Startup Village marks 4 years
Editor’s note: St. Louis-based magazine EQ invited Startland News to write a feature story about one of the Kansas City’s innovation districts, Kansas City Startup Village, on the heels of its fourth anniversary. This story was originally published in EQ. As many entrepreneurs can attest, inspiration strikes anytime — including a late Sunday night. “This is going…
Startland’s 2016 made-in-Kansas-City tech gift guide
Startland News and the Kansas City Star have partnered to publish content as part of the Star’s special section, “Spirit.” This story will appear in the Star’s Dec. 18 Sunday edition. With its tech chops expanding like Kris Kringle’s waistline, Kansas City’s startups are starting to resemble the North Pole’s elves in their ability to…
Kauffman to host national summit on how to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem
A national summit on how to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem is coming to Kansas City. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation announced Wednesday that it will host the national ESHIP Summit in June of 2017. The invite-only ESHIP Summit will bring together entrepreneurial ecosystem builders, allies and stakeholders from across the nation to collaborate for an economic…
Events Preview: Chat with Victor Hwang, Municipal Innovation
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Weekly Events Preview Innovation Exchange When: Dec. 14, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Where: Think Big Coworking Rarely are all the facts…
Illness forecaster Sickweather lands local investor, opening KC office
As part of a recent investment round, Sickweather will be returning to familiar stomping grounds to open a Kansas City office. A graduate of the 2014 Techstars-led Sprint Accelerator, Sickweather raised a seed round of an undisclosed value to accelerate sales of its tech that forecasts and maps illnesses for consumers and enterprises. “We’re thrilled…
Entrepreneurial card game Idea Jab spurs creativity in students, startups
Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its Fund Me, KC segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like Idea Jab co-founders Matt Callegari and Alex Laughlin — to share their stories to gain a little help from their supporters. Back Idea Jab here. Who are…
MTC gifts $2.6M to 10 Missouri tech firms, including one from KC
The Missouri Technology Corporation is making the holidays extra special for 10 Show Me State startups. With an aim to grow the state’s tech and bioscience sectors, the MTC announced that it approved $2.6 million in co-investment awards to 10 firms, including $225,000 to Kansas City-based SquareOffs. Founded in 2012 by Jeff Rohr, SquareOffs created…
Ag venture group TechAccel invests $250K in research partnership
A new partnership will advance agricultural innovation in the state of Missouri. TechAccel, a Kansas City-based technology and venture development firm, recently announced it will work with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, a St. Louis-based nonprofit research institute. TechAccel will provide $250,000 in grants to the Danforth Center to help it demonstrate proof of…
Kansas City Chief Dontari Poe challenges students, startups with new contest
Veteran Kansas City Chief Dontari Poe is hosting a competition that bridges young Kansas Citians and entrepreneurship. Set for Dec. 13 at Think Big Coworking, Poe Man’s Challenge will pair nine local startups with 30 Kansas City high school students and pitch the companies to a panel of celebrity judges, including Poe and his teammates….
Router Ventures plans to make more KC startup investments
Led by regional startup champion Jeff Slobotski, Omaha-based Router Ventures is hoping to grow its early-stage investment portfolio with more Kansas City firms. With seven startups in its roster, the $1.1 million seed fund plans to accelerate its dealmaking in 2017 and Slobotski said Kansas City is key to the strategy. “I strongly believe that…
