Techstars

Is Wichita the next tech hotspot? Startup week organizer says pieces are falling into place  

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. After…

Maria Flynn, Techstars Kansas City

Techstars closes Kansas City accelerator as global network focuses on larger-growth markets

Techstars is discontinuing its long-running Kansas City program, the global accelerator network confirmed Tuesday, with the 2021 cohort expected to be the last group hosted in the metro. “Techstars has made a strategic decision to focus on larger-growth markets, and therefore does not plan to add companies through a Kansas City program in the immediate…

KC’s PlaBook, Erkios selected for coveted $50K Arch Grants, boosting St. Louis startup scene

Two Kansas City companies are expected to be part of Arch Grants’ largest-ever selection of startups, earning spots in the highly competitive St. Louis grant program’s 35-member, nearly $2 million 2021 cohort. PlaBook, an edtech reading platform, and Erkios Systems, a cybersecurity hardware startup, were announced Oct. 1 as winning candidates for the program, which…

Techstars KC 2021 demo day

Techstars’ summer finale means closing investment rounds for founders, says KC leader

Demo day is as much about looking forward as it is an examination of a startup’s journey through Techstars, Maria Flynn said, teasing new dollar deals ahead for the 2021 Kansas City cohort. “There are already a number of investment commitments coming in, so we are focused on closing the investment rounds so the companies…

Valentine Osakwe and Zerryn Gines, Peep Connect

Techstars arrival: Find that ‘ride or die’ investor who answers your 3 am calls, founder says

Even in a startup’s early stages, founders need both a roadmap and destination, said Zerryn Gines. “You don’t need to know exactly what you’re doing every step of the way, but if you know where you want to go — then you can connect to the right people and ask the right questions,” explained Gines,…