Kashif Hasnie

LaunchKC finalists: Meet 13 tech startups vying for six $50K grants in rebooted competition

A revived LaunchKC grants competition is set to return in mid-November with more than a dozen companies vying for $300,000 in non-dilutive funding. Finalists were announced Friday. The 13 Kansas City companies selected to compete Nov. 15 were narrowed from more than 90 applicants, said Becca Castro, strategic initiatives manager at the Economic Development Corporation…

Kashif Hasnie, Air Traffic Awareness

Startup veteran pilots Air Traffic Awareness, wants ‘Silicon Valley of Aviation’ to truly take flight

A climbing Kansas City startup could save lives by bridging technology gaps in air travel, said Kashif Hasnie.  “Collisions are among the top causes of aircraft accidents in the world,” explained Hasnie, CEO of Air Traffic Awareness.  First launched as a class project at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Air Traffic Awareness has developed patent-pending,…

Erin Bopp, Lightwork DJ Mobilverse

16 winners: Micro-grant competition debuts with $30K in prizes to entrepreneurs who ‘need funds the most’

Not all early-stage entrepreneurs and small businesses qualify for federal disaster loans, prompting an even greater need for programs like the new Dare to Venture Micro-Grant Competition, according to the Urban Business Growth Initiative. “At a critical time when small businesses need funds the most, the program offered a total of $30,000 in micro-grants to…