Melissa Roberts
Former ECJC exec Melissa Roberts joins Kauffman Foundation grant making team
Everyone has potential if given the right resources, said Melissa Roberts. “Everybody has great ideas if given the right education. Everybody has the potential to be an economic contributor in our society if given the right motivation and support,” she continued. These aren’t her words and values alone, Roberts said. They’re the legacy of Ewing…
Techweek 100 list released: Dozens of KC’s top cultivators, ambassadors and innovators
Techweek Kansas City on Friday released its Techweek 100 list of the premier leaders pushing innovation in Kansas City. The collection of cultivators, ambassadors and innovators is a who’s who of familiar names across the startup, entrepreneurship and tech communities. Released in the runup to Techweek KC’s Oct. 8-12 festivities, the list isn’t a ranking,…
‘Class reunion’ collides with newer generation at Top VC-Backed Companies celebration (Photos)
It was a night of old school collisions, said Adam Arredondo, bringing together founders, executives, investors and a curated group of younger startup leaders for Startland’s Top VC-Backed Companies celebration. “The energy in the room was palpable. Many people said it felt like a class reunion, which in a way it was,” added Arredondo, CEO…
Kansas-vs-Missouri investment record tied to state support for innovation, experts say
The Sunflower State appears to set itself apart based on trends indicated by Startland’s 2018 list of Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies in KC. But does Kansas really have the competitive edge? Kansas companies are on average two years older than Missouri companies; they’ve raised more than four times as much capital than their Missouri counterparts;…
ECJC unveils new $5M seed fund for regional startups
Kansas City has a new fund targeting Midwest startups. The Enterprise Center in Johnson County is leading a bi-state initiative that’s working to capitalize the $5 million Fountain Innovation Fund. The fund — built by the Midwest Seed Consortium — aims to increase the number and pace of scalable firms by investing in the most…
