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Regional Roundup

Amazon’s delivery backlash and 800 robots descend on St. Louis

In this week’s roundup of watercooler talk from the region’s startup hubs, we have the dish on Amazon’s digital divide backpedaling, St. Louis’ international robotics competition and Denver’s vibrant city culture. Check out more in this series here.a ChicagoInno: Amid controversy, Amazon is finally bringing same-day delivery to the South Side And the backpedaling continues….

How Pipeline CEO Joni Cobb revitalized her waning democratic optimism

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone.   E=R. Have you seen this sticker on cars over the years? It’s the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s campaign during the Great Recession, meaning “Entrepreneurship = Recovery.” It was really a time of “push” for our political structure — and our communities in…

Kansas City streetcar kickoff syncs with Smart City launch

It’s poised to be a momentous week for Kansas City infrastructure. In addition to the Friday launch of the much-anticipated Kansas City streetcar line, the City of Fountains has officially kicked off operations of its smart city framework. The $15.7 million public-private project aims to transform Kansas City’s downtown into a living lab of Wi-Fi…

Events Preview: #TimeToRideKC

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   SMCKC May Breakfast When: May 6 @ 7:30 am – 9:00 am Where: Grand Street Cafe Join us for a presentation…

Integrated Roadways smart pavement kicks ‘dumb roads’ to the curb

The future of smart infrastructure appears to be budding in the City of Fountains. Kansas City-based Integrated Roadways recently secured a U.S. patent for its “smart pavement” that transforms humdrum roads into the network for the mobile Internet of Things. The smart pavement system features embedded components that provide connected cars wireless connectivity on roads,…

Local firm JobShakers scores Mid-America Angel dollars

JobShakers, a tech startup offering employee referral software, recently raised local capital to fuel its development and sales channels.  The Shawnee Mission-based company announced Thursday that it closed on a $265,000 seed investment from the Mid-America Angels Investment Network. The new injection of funds brings JobShakers’ total amount raised to $465,000. “Having completed several months of…

Startland

Readers’ Choice: Peek at Startland’s most-popular stories

The votes are in — and they arrived via page views. And in case you didn’t know: Kansas City produces a ton of startup news. A year ago today, we published our very first digest, and it’s been a fantastically hectic ride ever since. As a startup ourselves, watching the ticker count on story page…

Happy birthday! Startland recalls 10 memorable entrepreneurial stories

It’s been a year since Startland News spread its journalistic wings. And that presents us an opportunity to reflect on the flood of stories that Kansas City stirred up in the last 12 months. We’ve published more than 400 stories in the last 365 days. Although they detail a myriad of subjects in  on the…

Fund me, KC: Leka robot teaches kids with developmental disorders

Startland News is continuing its segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like Leka CEO Ladislas de Toldi — to share their stories to gain a little help from their supporters. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by…

The WTF Series: Chatbots to anticipate your needs

On a daily basis, Ben Kittrell translates the jargon-filled world of technology for clients of his tech consultancy. The Words that Frustrate (WTF) series aims to offer readers some clarity in an industry dominated by techies’ confusing argot. At Facebook’s latest developer conference, F8, Mark Zuckerberg announced they are adding Application Programming Interfaces to Facebook…