LaunchKC recently announced its selection of 20 tech entrepreneurs who will compete for ten $50,000 non-dilutive grants, mentorship, transitional workspace, and other professional services during Techweek KC, September 12-18 at Union Station Kansas City.
LaunchKC is a global grants competition designed to attract tech entrepreneurs to compete for one of 10 (ten) $50,000 grants and the opportunity to build their new and emerging tech businesses in Kansas City, Missouri. LaunchKC exceeded its goal for applicants this year, topping 400 for the second consecutive year.
The finalists include 11 from the bi-state metropolitan area, seven from other U.S. states, and two international applicants from Austria and Portugal. They will be in KC in September to compete for one of 10 grand prizes, including a $50,000 grant; 12 months of free office space in the heart of Downtown; and professional mentoring support – that will be awarded to the 10 top at Techweek Kansas City, Sept. 12-18.
Congratulations to the 2016 20 LaunchKC Finalists!
Aces Health (Bentonville, Arkansas) – Health Tech
Backstitch – (Detroit, Michigan/Kansas City, Missouri) – Cloud Services
Big Bang – (Kansas City, MO) – Cloud Services
BLITAB – (Austria) – Education Tech
ConsultUS (Prairie Village, Kansas) – Ag Tech
EnduraLock – (Overland Park, KS) – Other
Eyes on Freight – (Kansas City, MO) – Logistics
Glober – (San Francisco, California) – Mobile Tech
Fitness Technology – (Kansas City, MO) – Health Tech
Forest Devices – Alpha Stroke (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) – Health Tech
Herd Scout – (Overland Park, KS) – Ag Tech
iShare Medical Records – (Kansas City, MO) – Health Tech
Magnomics – (Portugal) – Ag Tech
MailControl – (Chicago, Illinois) – Cloud Services
Mobility Designed – (Prairie Village, KS) – Other
Mycroft AI – (Lawrence, KS/Sprint Accelerator) – Artificial Intelligence
NeuroCognetix – (Columbus, Ohio) – Health Tech
Ombitron – (Seattle, Washington) – Internet of Things
PerfectCube – (Lenexa, KS) – Data Analytics
Super Dispatch – (Kansas City, KS) – Mobile Tech
The LaunchKC grant competition was Initiated in 2015 by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, MO, and the Downtown Council of Kansas City and is open to anyone around the world with a startup or early stage tech business.
Mike Hurd, Director of Marketing for the Downtown Council and LaunchKC, said the competition’s goal is to find, and reward, focused, well-rounded companies with strong, thoughtful ideas.
“We started the competition to attract the best and brightest entrepreneurs to Kansas City, MO,” said Hurd. “We want to provide them with incentives and tools to give them a leg-up in building the business of their dreams here. Our focus is on identifying tech-powered businesses poised for sustainable growth and a long-term future in our city.”
LaunchKC’s objective has always been to drive economic growth in Kansas City by supporting tech entrepreneurs as they work to create high paying jobs, drive revenues, and hopefully stay and grow their businesses in Kansas City.
“When these 20 finalists stand before the judges and audience in September, we want them to articulate why and how they are prepared to build strong and sustainable businesses in Kansas City,” said Hurd. “We are not only in search of tomorrow’s business leaders, we are also looking for the next Cerner or Garmin to call Kansas City home.”
The 20 finalists will pitch at Union Station during Techweek KC (Sept. 12-18) and the 10 grant winners will be announced on Friday afternoon, Sept. 16.
To learn more about the LaunchKC grant competition, please visit LaunchKC’s website
To buy tickets and learn more about Techweek KC, please visit Techweek’s website