Mayor touts LaunchKC competition in State of the City

Mayor Sly James shared his vision for Kansas City on Tuesday during his annual State of the City address, and spent considerable time on accomplishments in Downtown, and upon innovation and entrepreneurship.

Mayor Sly James singles out LaunchKC as part of the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship that is thriving in Kansas City.

“With Google Fiber and the Smart + Connected City, Kansas City has at its fingertips the economic infrastructure of the 21st century,” James said during his State of the City remarks at the Uptown Theater. “That type of infrastructure makes Kansas City attractive to all kinds of people with all kinds of ideas. A person with an idea: that’s the economy of the future.”

The Mayor said the key to future economic development for KC is not big box development rooted in billions of dollars of incentives.

“And because of that, we strongly support programs like LaunchKC,” he said, beaming to the audience. “Last year, the first 10 LaunchKC grant recipients received half a million dollars ­­ – $50,000 each ­­- by winning a business competition that drew applicants from around the world.

“We’re not stopping. Applications for LaunchKC 2016 will be accepted beginning this Friday, April 1. We look forward to Techweek in September, when 10 more grants will be awarded.”

LaunchKC is the global grants competition for tech entrepreneurs led by the Downtown Council and the Economic Development Corp. For more information on the LaunchKC, or to appy for the 2016 competition, visit LaunchKC.org

To read more about the Mayor’s comments on innovation and entrepreneurship, visit The Startland News.