Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Farmobile’s Jason Tatge: Why venture capitalists can’t afford to fly over Midwest startups
Savvy investors are turning their attention to the Midwest. Leading VC firms and investors are fleeing from the high prices, the groupthink and the cutthroat competition of the coasts and turning to the heart of the United States for their next moonshots. And yet, the Midwest attracts just 7 percent of VC capital, a tiny…
On the agenda: What are GEW’s 10 most popular events so far? Practical workshops
With more than 170 events planned, organizers of Global Entrepreneurship Week already are seeing registration trends from those building their weeklong agendas at GEWKC.org Topping the most popular are GEW’s kickoff breakfast — set to explore the future in terms of emerging Latino markets, transportation and the Hyperloop, and sports technology — and Marquita Miller’s…
BlackTech Week curating GEW conversation between founders with ‘true experiences’
Bringing BlackTech Week to Kansas City for a day — and debuting the event series during Global Entrepreneurship Week — seemed like a natural fit, said Denayja Reese. The Miami-based festival draws together black entrepreneur leaders who already are championing the startup hustle of their communities, she said. Powered by Code Fever, which was founded…
Don’t just play the game: MECA Challenge urges students to innovate ‘school of the future’
Challenging Kansas City students to envision “the school of the future” will usher in a paradigm shift wherein teens can see themselves as customers of school, said Katie Kimbrell optimistically. “[Students] don’t even think, ‘Oh, I could rethink this whole thing that I’m experiencing,’ and choose — or even demand — something different,” said Kimbrell,…
H&R Block must reconnect with startup energy, innovation, CEO Jeff Jones says
Jeff Jones’ journey to Kansas City — winding through hangouts with popstar Justin Timberlake, dinner with Oprah, and a stint driving one of the world’s most dominant sharing economy companies — has been transformative, the H&R Block CEO said. And if the homegrown corporate juggernaut he now leads is to meet its stretch potential, the…
