LaunchKC to propel silicon prairie in Downtown

Kansas City has lift-off!

Business and civic leaders gathered on Monday to introduce a new initiative that is designed to drive awareness and growth of the city’s flourishing information technology district in Downtown Kansas City.

“It is no coincidence that Launch KC is being unveiled on Monday, Sept. 10 – the day after Google Fiber completed its first-ever registration drive in KCMO and KCK,” said Mayor Sly James. “We are eager to show the world that Kansas City, Missouri, is not only getting wired for one gigabit fiber, but also is flourishing as a hub of technology and creativity.”

Launch KC is a KCMO strategic initiative designed to attract and develop IT entrepreneurs and professionals to the thriving information technology community in the Crossroads Arts District and throughout greater Downtown Kansas City, Missouri.  Economic Development Corporation research shows 157 IT businesses are currently located in greater Downtown, employing nearly 4,000 people.

“The concentration of these businesses, particularly in the Crossroads area, provides a fertile foundation for the mixture of information technology businesses and creative, arts-related organizations to germinate new ideas and IT applications,” said Pete Fullerton, president and CEO of the EDC.

Launch KC was conceived this year through public-private collaboration on the Mayor’s Bi-State Innovation Task Force and developed under the leadership of the Mayor’s office, the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) of Kansas City and the Downtown Council (DTC) of Kansas City. The current Launch KC task is features a team of civic leaders, economic developers IT entrepreneurs and communication industry experts.

“This is where IT start-ups take off,” Mayor James said. “Launch KC will help fuel interest in Downtown from both start-up entrepreneurs and expanding tech companies. It’s about attracting more companies with a vision for an emerging silicon prairie right here in Downtown.”

The Launch KC press conference on Monday was held on the Barkley rooftop at 1740 Main St. The agenda featured representatives of the Launch KC organizing team including Mayor James; Pete Fullerton, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City; Paul Vhlahos, CEO of SightDeck, Los Angeles; Ron Coker,  chairman of the board of the Downtown Council of Kansas City and vice president of Burns & McDonnell; and Mike Burke, co-chair of the Mayors’ Bi-State Innovation Task Force.

The Launch KC announcement focuses on five strategies to attract entrepreneurs and business leaders to start, expand or relocate their IT enterprises in Downtown:

• Capacity – Increase computing capacity for entrepreneurs
• Mobility – Provide greater mobility via free high-speed WiFi access in Downtown
• Incentives – Create City incentives that are meaningful to small start-ups
• Innovation – Generate a proof of concept lab to test new ideas
• Collaboration – Engage successful Downtown businesses to aid entrepreneurs

“Downtown is blossoming into a creative crossroads that beckons creative, innovative entrepreneurs – from start-ups to industry leaders; from high tech to high touch – building the kinds of businesses that excel with the best minds in America,” said Ron Coker, chairman of the Downtown Council. “We are starting to see interest from businesses that want to connect to the energy of Downtown.”

The news media took great interest in the Launch KC announcement. To review some of the media coverage, follow these links:

http://www.kcur.org/post/kc-mayor-tech-startup-companies-welcome

 

 

 

LaunchKC.com