Government Stories
Bracket bash winner nets $50K in pitch doubleheader; three KC startups score spots among final four
Kansas came in clutch Tuesday — doubling the grand prize pool for this week’s Gamechangers and Champions pitch competition just before tipoff. Its jersey-clad winner scored $50,000 and a top seed among investors gathered for the state’s bracket bash for emerging entrepreneurs. “When you’re in a startup business, money never hurts, non-dilutive money even more…
Great Jobs KC secures $680K federal grant to launch 100 women into nontraditional careers
A federal initiative designed to break down modern barriers in high-demand, high-wage industries also honors the historic legacy of women in the workforce, said Karolyn Dreiling, announcing a $680,000 grant to help Great Jobs KC boost apprenticeships. “This grant is a game-changer for women in our community who are ready to break into industries where…
KCMO launching ‘Full Tilt Film Festival’ to showcase intersection of sports, film, culture
Six weeks after World Cup visitors wave goodbye, Kansas City is set to welcome sports and entertainment industry executives, celebrities, professional athletes and fans for a new signature event celebrating the art and business of sports storytelling, Mayor Quinton Lucas announced Tuesday. The Full Tilt Film Festival — slated for Aug. 28-29 across various venues…
Bracket bash races to halfcourt, cutting pitch competitors down to 16 Kansas startups
The competition for $25,000 in startup capital is intensifying for more than a dozen Kansas entrepreneurs as a high-profile pitch event announced Wednesday that it had narrowed the field from 32 finalists to 16. Selected companies — half of which hail from the Kansas City region — advance to the next round of the 2026…
Kansas’ bracket-style pitch competition just revealed 32 startups vying for its $25K prize
An innovation-led startup tournament taking Kansas by storm is just built different, said Conor Adler, announcing the nearly three-dozen contenders featured in this spring’s competition. “One of the most inspiring facets of Gamechangers and Champions is seeing founders from rural Kansas standing alongside entrepreneurs from our largest cities,” said Adler, investment manager for Wichita-based NXTUS,…
