Techweek day 5: LaunchKC is ready for liftoff
LaunchKC – the global grants competition that aims to bring 10 of the best and brightest tech entrepreneurs to Kansas City to build their new businesses – will take center stage at Techweek Kansas City today (Friday). Judges will spend the morning hearing pitches and questioning the 20 finalists, as they work to narrow the pool to 10 grant recipients who will receive $50,000 each.
According to the Techweek KC schedule, the final round of judging will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Friday on the DSI Stage in the Sprint Festival Plaza at Union Station. The LaunchKC awards ceremony will occur from 3:30-5 p.m. Friday on the Sprint Stage at the Extreme Screen at Union Station.
Judges will award nine grants during the awards ceremony this afternoon. You have an opportunity to vote online for the 10th winner via a People’s Choice Award between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. The impartial ballot is hosted by @KCSourceLink. http://www.
Friday will mark the conclusion of months of preparation for the first-annual LaunchKC grant awards. The finalists are competing for 10 (ten) $50,000 grants, and a leg up in building their businesses in Kansas City, Missouri.
The list of 20 finalists – which was announced on Sept. 2 and amended by one this last week – features 13 finalists from the Kansas City area, six from six U.S. including both coasts, and one from Santiago, Chile.
LaunchKC attracted nearly 500 applicants from around the world to compete for the 10 grants in Kansas City. We were very fortunate to have many outstanding applicants who exceeded even our high expectations. LaunchKC – a first-year initiative of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, working in collaboration with the Economic Development Council, is powered by a visionary investors including the Missouri Technology Corporation; the City of Kansas City, Missouri; the William T. Kemper Foundation; UMB Bank and a Who’s Who of supporting sponsors.
The 20 finalists (alphabetically, by company name) for the LaunchKC grants competition include:
- Alcohoot (also known as Vertisense), New York, N.Y.
- Blooom, Overland Park, Kan.
- CBG Technologies (also known as REI Hammer), Lee’s Summit, Mo.
- Edge Up Sports, Kansas City, Mo.
- HealthID, Cranston, R.I.
- Integrated Roadways, Kansas City, Mo.
- KC Drone Co., Kansas City, Mo.
- LaborChart, Overland Park, Kan.
- Loadlytics, Boston, Mass.
- Mobility Designed, LLC, Roeland Park, Kan.
- Nodal Security, Detroit, Mich.
- Ovatemp, Kansas City, Mo.
- PopBookings, Kansas City, Mo.
- Pycno, Santiago, Chile
- SkillGravity, San Francisco, Calif.
- SquareOffs, Kansas City, Kan.
- TapTeach, Kearney, Mo.
- Ulytic, Columbia, Mo.
- Video Fizz, Kearney, Mo.
- Virtutecture, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
In addition to $50,000 grants, the 10 winning applicants will receive a network of support, including 12 months of free office space in Downtown KC; industry-specific mentor teams for each grant recipient; and opportunities to meet and learn from industry and entrepreneurial leaders in and around Kansas City – all designed to elevate their efforts to build high-growth, tech sector businesses and jobs in Downtown KCMO.
While LaunchKC takes center stage today, Techweek KC , features a full day of conference speakers and panels. Four highlights include:
- Wearable technology and fashion will be on the runaway at 9 and 9:30 a.m.
- Robb Heineman, CEO of SportingKC and Sporting Innovations, on improving the sports fan experience through technology at 10:15 a.m.
- A special 1 p.m. session at the spectacular Sporting Club’s Downtown KC headquarters on Transforming the Fan Experience in Sports.
- An 8 p.m. performance by the Welsh alternative rockers, The Joy Formidable in the Power & Light District’s Live Block!
All of this and much more at Techweek KC today!