Silicon Prairie Thrives in Downtown - Downtown Council of Kansas City

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.

The concentration of these businesses, particularly in and around the Crossroads Arts District, provides a fertile foundation for the mixture of information technology businesses and creative, arts-related organizations to germinate new ideas and IT applications.

KCPT – in partnership with the Downtown Council – recently produced a story for The Local Show about the burgeoning tech district in Downtown. The story features three tech start-ups in the Crossroads – RareWire, Sporting Innovations and Sight Deck – along with news from Launch KC and the new Digital Sandbox at Union Station.

“It is no coincidence that Launch KC was unveiled the day after Google Fiber completed its first-ever registration drive in KCMO and KCK,” said Bill Dietrich, president and CEO of the Downtown Council. “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 Kansas City, Missouri, strategic initiative designed to attract and develop IT entrepreneurs and professionals to the thriving information technology community in the Crossroads and throughout greater Downtown. Research shows 157 tech-related businesses are currently located in greater Downtown, employing nearly 4,000 people.

Launch KC was conceived last year through public-private collaboration on the Mayors’ 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 force, chaired by Mike Burke, features a team of business and civic leaders, economic developers, I.T. entrepreneurs and communication industry experts.

“This is where I.T. start-ups take off,” Mayor Sly James said at the launch party last fall. “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.”