LaunchKC

Nathan Kurtz, Brush Creek Partners

LaunchKC-backed insurtech accelerator hopes to claim new cohort by Aug. 22

Brush Creek Partners and LaunchKC are again eyeing startups ready to accelerate their go-to-market plans, the partners announced Tuesday.  The application period for the LaunchKC-backed bcp tech InsurTech accelerator has officially opened, Nathan Kurtz, COO of Brush Creek Partners (bcp), said in a release, marking the program’s second run.  “When you have an insurtech product…

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, 2021 State of the State Address, photo courtesy of the State of Missouri

Missouri could put $1M back into startup support after COVID killed most-recent funding

A budget plan released this week by Gov. Mike Parson includes a $1 million allocation for the Missouri Technology Corporation — a popular public-private initiative boosting startups that saw its investment efforts defunded last year because of COVID-19-related shortfalls. “It is important that we continue to follow through on key investments in workforce development and infrastructure,”…

2018 LaunchKC winners

Keystone Labs partners with LaunchKC to lead accelerator platform operations

Six years after launching as a grants competition, the ever-evolving LaunchKC program will continue as an accelerator platform, newly led by the minds behind Keystone Labs — an outgrowth of the Keystone innovation district effort championed by Kevin McGinnis. Announced Thursday morning during a meeting of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, the move is expected…

Mike Parson, Missouri governor; Discovery Design Truck & Manufacturing, St. Peters; Photo courtesy of the Missouri Governor's Office

Missouri startup support funding gutted amid COVID; Advocates hope reversing course could fuel recovery

It’s official: the 2021 budget for a popular public-private partnership that once infused millions into the Missouri tech and startup communities has been wholly defunded by the state as Gov. Mike Parson grapples with COVID-19’s continued economic fallout. But supporters of the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) hope Parson’s move — withholding all of the program’s…

Mike Parson, Missouri governor

Already slashed to $1M, MTC funding for startups, innovation centers could hinge on COVID-19

Editor’s note: The following is part of Startland News’ ongoing coverage of the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Kansas City’s entrepreneur community, as well as how innovation is helping to drive a new normal in the ecosystem. Click here to follow related stories as they develop. A years-long effort to scale back Missouri’s funding for startup investment — coupled…