Blake Miller

Entrepreneurs’ innovative thinking pays off for smart cities, Think Big co-founder says

There’s a difference between innovation and invention, said Herb Sih, managing partner and co-founder of Think Big Partners. “Invention is a good idea in search of a home — or, as someone said this morning, a solution in search of a problem,” Sih said. “Reverse that: Innovation. It’s a problem in search of a solution.”…

JE Dunn leads $500K round in smart apartment startup Homebase

A handful of Kansas City firms both large and small are partnering to advance smart home technologies.  JE Dunn Construction Group and Sunflower Development Group have led at $500,000 investment round in Kansas City-based Homebase, a tech firm building an IoT smart apartment and building platform for multi-family properties. Will Winkler of PSW Real Estate,…

Is your logo too safe? KU researcher explores the psychology behind your branding

Your logo may not be communicating what you want, which could hurt your business, according to new research.   In her recent research on logo design, University of Kansas marketing scholar Noelle Nelson found that the disconnection between what founders hope to convey with a logo and how a person perceives it may discourage a…

Tech leaders: KC is built to be a hub for driverless cars

The Obama administration on Tuesday revealed a set of guidelines for automakers to ensure a safe, efficient rollout of self-driving vehicles in the United States. The rapid development of autonomous vehicle tech, according to the administration, makes it clear that its emergence into American’s everyday life is no longer a question of if — but…

Swanky downtown apartments to feature KC-made smart home tech

A $69 million office-to-apartment conversion project in Kansas City will soon feature new Internet-of-Things technology that its creators hope will become a model for the world of real estate. Amid a flood of development projects in downtown Kansas City, Sunflower Development Group and Block Real Estate Services are converting Traders on Grand — a 20-story…