Government Stories
World Cup will be KC’s biggest-ever event, top founder says (and local businesses can still get in the game)
When Neal Sharma co-founded DEG at the turn of the millennium, Kansas City felt like it had an inferiority complex, he said. Fast forward to 2024, and the city is teeming with extrinsic validation, he added. The exited founder-turned-civic leader hopes being a World Cup host city in 2026 pushes Kansas City to take a…
$500K state grant bolsters KU’s startup ecosystem; here’s what KU Innovation Park is launching with the funds
LAWRENCE, Kansas — A $500,000 Forging Opportunities for Research, Growth & Entrepreneurship (FORGE) grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce will help KU and KU Innovation Park create software, infrastructure and financial mechanisms needed to bridge the gap between academia and industry, growing the state’s economy while enhancing the university’s teaching and research missions. As…
How an animal health leader’s $130M investment in KC will boost its fight against canine parovirus
ELWOOD, Kansas — A $130 million investment from global animal health leader Elanco is a testament to Kansas’ pro-business economy, said Laura Kelly, lauding this week’s expansion announcement and its plans to bring 70 new jobs to the region’s animal health corridor over the next two years. “Elanco’s expansion not only is creating new job…
Wichita Startup Week rallying nonprofits (and Bill Nye ‘The Science Guy’) to celebrate entrepreneurs
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. WICHITA — Entrepreneurship and innovation advocates on Tuesday announced plans for an unprecedented, power-packed week of high-profile events and programs — all fueled by a new coalition of nonprofits that support…
Grants competition returning with $55K for each winner; LaunchKC Liftoff applications open Aug. 14
LaunchKC leaders’ hopes and expectations for the popular competition’s grant-winning entrepreneurs go far beyond their final pitches, said Jim Erickson. “We want all of them to grow and prosper. We want, in 20 to 30 years, for us to be able to drive downtown and see skyscrapers with LaunchKC companies’ names on it, having driven…
