Latest Stories
Report: Kansas is more innovation-friendly than Missouri
The Sunflower State is more hospitable to innovation than its eastward neighbor, a recent study found. The Consumer Technology Association’s annual “Innovation Scorecard” ranked all 50 states in 10 different categories to determine which states best fostered innovation and economic growth. The study dished Kansas slightly higher innovation kudos than Missouri, comparing their friendliness to…
Another Uber fiasco? KCMO proposes $600 fee, regulations for Airbnb hosts
Recently proposed city regulations could throw Kansas City home-sharing in the doghouse. More than 100 area hosts and guests of services like Airbnb and VRBO fueled a discussion Monday on home-sharing regulations that the City of Kansas City, Mo., is proposing after complaints of abuse. Led by assistant city manager Rick Usher, city officials met…
Kansas City is a top 10 locale for women-owned businesses
The Kansas City area is a top destination for women to own a business, according to a new report. A study released Monday by personal finance website WalletHub placed Kansas City in the top 10 U.S. cities for women-owned businesses. WalletHub ranked the 100 most-populated metropolitan areas, doling out points for new business friendliness, female…
The impact and challenges of cultivating champions of your startup
I recently wrote about the importance of building a close relationship with a champion of your company. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, author of Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor, notes that “women have twice as many mentors as men, but half as many sponsors.” A mentor can provide advice and perspective, but a sponsor or champion…
Local, artificial intelligence firms enter the Sprint Accelerator
There’s a bit of local flavor in the latest class of startups to enter the Techstars-led Sprint Accelerator. Now hosting its third batch of startup companies, the accelerator welcomed ten new companies to its three-month program, including one from Kansas City and another from Lawrence. Super Dispatch, based in Kansas City, and Mycroft, based in…
Locally-made drone designed to save servicemen, civilians’ lives
An injured soldier is miles away from medical help, holed up in a countryside village. Reaching him by medevac helicopter isn’t an option and ground Humvee ambulance will take hours. The soldier doesn’t have hours. Usually, it’s a scenario that unfortunately results in death. But Pulse Aerospace, based in Lawrence, Kan., is working to change…
Research on your startup’s crazy idea can yield cash
You know the feeling when you find $20 in your pocket that you forgot was there? Or have you seen the late-night infomercials about all the “found money” just sitting around waiting for you to claim it? It’s exciting stuff — the kind that makes your pulse race and your mind wander to the endless…
Fighting the Silicon Valley monster and why startups leave the Midwest
Here’s this week’s dish on the booming ed tech sector, how other communities can contend with Silicon Valley and the realities of startup relocation. Check out more in this series here. Biz News: How the rest of America can compete with Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is the “center of the new-business universe,” according to Dileep…
Events Preview: DevFest, UMKC Career Accelerator
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 DevFest When: February 20 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Where: Jack Reardon Convention Center Attend for great content from…
Blake Miller: Missouri should scrap its ‘Show Me’ slogan
Editor’s note: The following piece was inspired by recent news that Acre Designs, a startup that launched in Kansas City, will be relocating to San Francisco after facing a tepid, area investor market. Cue the somber violin music. Another sad, all-too-familiar Kansas City story recently played out with news that Acre Designs will be leaving the…
