Latest Stories

Video: The Kansas City Developers Conference ‘is blowing up’

The Kansas City Developers Conference on Friday wrapped up its week of connecting techies with one another and some of the biggest ideas in technology. Jon Mills, co-director of the KCDC, and Alice Anderson, an attendee at the conference, join us for this video.

KCDC

Technologists discuss what developers should be learning now

What’s the most-asked question at the Kansas City Developers Conference? According to conference organizers, it’s “What should I be learning now?” To help answer the query, Startland News curated a panel of experienced software developers, moderated by editor-in-chief Bobby Burch. Among many nuggets of information from panelists, priority No. 1 needs to be Javascript, according…

Gallery: The Kansas City Developers Conference

More than 1,500 developers from around the Midwest converged on the City of Fountains Thursday as part of the Kansas City Developers Conference Center. Now in its eighth year, the KCDC has steadily grown over the years into one of the area’s largest techie gatherings. With a focus on building the Kansas City community, the conference features…

KC Social Innovation Center kicks off with $100K

Education in Kansas City is receiving an innovative boost. Village Capital, a global entrepreneurial development organization, recently announced that Kansas City will be one of its pioneer “VilCap communities.” The KC Social Innovation Center, or KCSIC, will manage Kansas City’s VilCap community. The organization — launched by Think Big Partners in May — focuses on education…

How local founders manage startup disappointment

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone.   Fail fast. Fail forward. Startup failure may be educational, but it’s a lesson delivered by a very expensive teacher who exacts a steep emotional and economic price. The space between the Big Success and the Big Failure is where entrepreneurs live and…

Events Preview: Think Big Customer Experience Showcase

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     Kansas City Developer Conference When: June 23 – 24 Where: Kansas City Bartle Hall This event draws a large audience…

It’s back: TEDxKC returns to ‘question everything’

Ticket sales for the popular lecture series “TEDxKC” kick off next Tuesday. With a theme to “question everything,” the eighth-annual TEDxKC will welcome innovators, artists, activists and researchers from around the world to share their big ideas. TEDxKC is a wildly popular event in Kansas City, garnering sellout crowds not only at its host location,…

Trio of tech startups hop in the Digital Sandbox

A trio of tech startups have entered the Kansas City-based incubator Digital Sandbox KC. Led by entrepreneur Jeff Shackelford, the incubator welcomed Flokk, Routine Success and Tapyness into its program. Digital Sandbox invests up to $25,000 in area businesses for specific projects that help the firms secure additional funding. The organization has now supported 73…

BetaBlox expands to Tulsa, shares 4-year plan

Thanks to a recent fundraise, Kansas City-style innovation is heading south to the Sooner State. After scoring new investment capital, Kansas City-based BetaBlox is expanding its incubator program to Tulsa this summer, bringing with it four years of experience in honing startups. BetaBlox founder Weston Bergmann said his for-equity incubator has partnered with the non-profit…

Weston Bergmann explains BetaBlox and its successful 2016 class

Since launching it in 2012, BetaBlox founder Weston Bergmann has always been impressed by the caliber of firms entering his incubator. But this year, Bergmann said he was blown away by the firms presenting at BetaBlox Demo Day celebration Monday. “It’s kind of cliche to say this class is better than the last, but it’s true,”…