Latest Stories
Two KC venture capitalists earn scholarships to join Kauffman Fellows
A pair of Kansas City venture capitalists were recently selected to participate in the highly-esteemed investor program Kauffman Fellows. As part of an Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation program announced in October, Kauffman Fellows awarded scholarships to Stray Dog Capital CEO Lisa Feria and Flyover Capital partner Thad Langford. The program also awarded scholarships to Scott Bernstein, principal…
Former Adknowledge CMO Anita Newton launching CommunityAmerica innovation lab
Anita Newton, the former chief marketing officer at Adknowledge, is helping launch an innovation lab with CommunityAmerica Credit Union. A lean startup evangelist and co-founder of Mighty Good Solutions, Newton began her new CommunityAmerica gig Monday as its chief innovation officer. With the new role, Newton said she’ll be creating an independent innovation lab that…
Reporter turned entrepreneur, LeVota offers 6 takeaways from Startup Weekend KC
A little under a year ago, I joined the Startland News team. Since then, I bet I’ve witnessed at least 150 entrepreneurs pitch their company. It’s safe to say I’ve learned a lot about innovation and entrepreneurship. I’m lucky I get to spend my days asking people who have “done it” how they “did it.”…
Events Preview: Startup Crawl, 1Week KC
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Are you hosting a relevant community event? Feel free to add it to the FWD/KC calendar for increased exposure. Once your event…
With fresh $750K, Bixy is helping make online ads ‘not suck’
Kyle Johnson could see that his company had a problem. And there was nothing he could do to remedy it. Back in 2011, Pandora released its financial records for the first time ever for everybody to see. Johnson, now the founder of Bixy, was working at his own startup company in the music streaming business…
Mobility Designed names new CEO, raises more than $1M
Mobility Designed, a Kansas City medical device startup, announced Friday that it has appointed a new CEO. Previously held by co-founder Liliana Younger, the CEO role is now held by Dan Alcazar. A serial entrepreneur, Alcazar has experience growing early-stage, mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies, including RJR Nabisco, Sprint and Embarq. Younger will remain on…
Kansas City ranks as top U.S. tech, entrepreneurship hub
Kansas City’s emerging tech hub and entrepreneurial ecosystem continue to attract national attention. On Thursday, Kansas City ranked among the top tech cities in the U.S., according to the Tech Cities 1.0 report by Cushman & Wakefield. The report showcased the nation’s top 25 cities, with Kansas City nabbing the No. 22 spot on the…
More than 17K people expected for the biggest KC Maker Faire yet
For children, hardly a day goes by without the experience of arts, crafts, show and tell, building blocks or tinkering with toys. But in Kansas City, that young-at-heart spirit of creativity doesn’t have to be forgotten. In fact, it’s rekindled each year in a public outpouring at Union Station. On June 24 and 25, thousands…
Meet the five area startups partnering with KCMO to drive innovation
A quintet of startup firms are working with the City of Kansas City, Mo. as part of its Innovation Partnership Program. Launched in 2015, IPP pairs area startups with city departments to not only identify new efficiencies but also offer the firm a chance to earn business with the city. After being designated a department…
KC entrepreneurial leader Wullschleger becomes new WeWork director
Before its doors even open, WeWork is making significant inroads to the area entrepreneur community. The international coworking giant — which announced plans to create a 40,000-square-foot space in Kansas City in March — has hired Erik Wullschleger to become its community director. Most recently the director of LiveKC and previously general manager of the…
Wide Ruled: The future of Kansas schools with education commissioner Randy Watson
Editor’s note: In partnership with the Wide Ruled podcast hosted by Brainroot Light and Sound, Startland News hopes to offer its audience more avenues to learn about innovators in Kansas City. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Wide Ruled is a Kansas City-based podcast focused on equality in education. Each episode showcases a…
ScaleUP! KC welcomes 16 new entrepreneurs to the program
On Wednesday ScaleUP! KC welcomed 16 new entrepreneurs into its incubator program’s sixth cohort. To qualify, ScaleUP! companies must be in business for at least two years, generate annual sales of between $150,000 and $750,000 and have the potential to reach to $1 million in sales. Startups from the latest cohort represent industries such as…
KC Digital Drive summits aim to catalyze engagement with tech, innovation
Area non-profit, government and tech leaders are planning to help broaden community involvement in the Kansas City metro’s innovation ecosystem. Organized by KC Digital Drive, the Gigabit City Summit: Local Edition — set for June 16 at Plexpod Westport Commons — will offer an immersive look into high-profile initiatives such as the Smart City effort and…
KC startups join Techstars, Amazon and Kickstarter to support net neutrality
Amazon, Kickstarter, Etsy, Mozilla and other tech giants are planning a “day of action” on July 12 to oppose efforts to undo net neutrality regulations by Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai. As national momentum grows, the fight for a free and open Internet already has garnered local support. More than a dozen Kansas City-area…
Flyover Capital leads $1.5M round in Illinois startup
Overland Park-based venture capital firm Flyover Capital has led a $1.5 million Series A round in an Illinois-based tech firm. Flyover led the investment round — which included Serra Ventures and other private investors — in Inprentus Precision Optics, which designs and manufactures X-ray and EUV diffraction gratings for “synchrotron radiation” facilities. The technology is used…
