Techstars
3 ways Kansas City’s corporate leaders can support local startups
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Martha Salinas is an executive with Overland Park-based MSTS. The world’s largest companies are often associated with high-rise offices and massive workforces. But behind most success stories are humble beginnings. Amazon, for example, was started in Jeff Bezos’ garage before becoming the most…
Sickweather spent 8 years and $100K+ to obtain a patent; Is IP protection worth the cost?
Graham Dodge wanted to check a box for investors seeking security for his crowdsourced sickness forecasting startup Sickweather, he said. Obtaining a patent for the technology, however, proved a tougher task to chart. “We just wanted to protect ourselves to build value in the company,” said Dodge, CEO of Sickweather, as well as Garnish Health,…
Why are college students dropping out? EdSights targets higher ed retention rates
Only 56 percent of students who began college in 2012 actually graduated within the next six years, said startup founders Claudia Recchi and Carolina Recchi. The sisters’ own struggles as first-generation U.S. college students reinforced the challenge posed by such statistics, they said, prompting them to found EdSights, a startup using artificial intelligence to collect…
Bellwethr grows $2.5M in seed funding, building two-city talent base between KC, Manhattan
A $2.5 million seed funding round will infuse Bellwethr with more than cash, said Matt Moody. “We’ve been able to find some high quality talent and the big thing now is to apply that, build out the product more and start selling even faster,” Moody, founder and CEO, said of Bellwethr’s alignment for rapid growth….
Fountain City Fintech earns EDC’s Cornerstone Award in accelerator’s first year
Fountain City Fintech’s plan was to put Kansas City on the map, Zach Anderson Pettet said. In the process, the community bank-backed accelerator earned attention in its own right, he said. “A big piece of our plan was to give our cohort a chance to dig in and really understand the city — understand the…
