Techweek, the nation’s largest technology conference + festival, returned to Kansas City, Missouri in September for the second year in a row, this time with over 5,000 registered attendees from not only our region but from around the world.
Techweek’s partnership with Kansas City is geared toward enhancing our local technology and entrepreneurial community by bringing influential tech companies and leaders, startups, and investors together for an open exchange of ideas and conversation.
This year, the EDC together with Techweek decided to expand its outreach by inviting members of Kansas City’s international business community. The Consulate of Mexico, IDA Ireland- Chicago, and several other global companies attended and participated in the Entrepreneur Expo, where many of Kansas City’s prominent technology companies were also in attendance.
More than 60 LaunchKC Finalists from around the globe were showcased during the Entrepreneur Expo, which included several international applicants. LaunchKC is an annual grants competition designed to attract tech entrepreneurs locally, regionally and nationally to Kansas City. The 10 winners were announced during Techweek and included seven Kansas City area businesses and one international company. Each company was awarded $50,000 in grants from LaunchKC sponsors, as well as a year of free office space in the Crossroads Arts District of Downtown Kansas City, industry-specific mentor teams, and opportunities to meet and learn from industry and entrepreneurial leaders in Kansas City. LaunchKC also helps grant recipients identify follow-on capital and angel investments.
Narbeli Galindo, EDC’s Director of International Affairs, and her team worked all week during Techweek to build relationships with local international organizations and companies to collaborate on business and trade opportunities in the future.
One of the latest additions to the KCMO business community is a British Company- Pomerol Partners, who expanded their North America operations in August 2016. Pomerol Partners is a London-based business intelligence (BI) consultancy company, who provides data and visualization services to companies who need a strategic process to analyze their data.
After Galindo’s visit to London’s Pomerol Partners Headquarters, Fred Hefer, Cofounder of Pomerol Partners, decided to accept Narbeli’s invitation to KCMO as an opportunity to expand their operations into the Midwest. The connection with Pomerol Partners was made through Galindo’s relationship with the British Consulate of Chicago/UK Trade & Investment team. The purpose of Hefer’s visit was to establish Kansas City, Missouri as Pomerol Partners’ U.S. partner and to explore a variety of local industry market opportunities.
After meeting with Kansas City, Missouri’s Economic Development Corporation, Hefer says he was attracted to KCMO because of the number of entrepreneurial initiatives available, Google Fiber, and the city’s central North American location. Hefer was given the opportunity to speak at the Big Data Summit during Techweek to discuss “Blockchain and Analytics, From the City of London to Kansas City.”
Pomeral Partners Founder Speaking At Techweek
The EDC’s International Team is also excited to have an international company, BLITAB, selected as one of the LaunchKC grant competition winners this year! BLITAB will be relocating to Kansas City, Missouri from Vienna, Austria as part of the LaunchKC grant recipient requirements.
BLITAB Founder Slavi Slavev with Narbeli Galindo and Alvin Liow
LaunchKC encourages entrepreneurs from around the world to apply and compete for mentorship, funding, and development in Kansas City, Missouri. Global companies will eventually see the benefit of adding job growth and technology into the ecosystem of Kansas City, MO. The international team has already met and is currently working with Slavi Slavev, CTO and Co-founder BLITAB, to offer him a glimpse of the advantages and benefits of permanently expanding into North America, through Kansas City, Missouri.
“Kansas City has a lot to celebrate right now,” says Drew Solomon, Senior Vice President of Business and Job Development for the EDC. “Startups are finding resources, hiring new people, leasing space, and working with community leaders to enhance and grow Kansas City’s digital footprint.
With more than 400 “brain-powered” businesses in our world famous KC Crossroads District, Kansas City, Missouri offers entrepreneurs an environment that sparks creativity and helps them build a strong foundation that often launches them into future growth.
“We’re already one of the top 10 cities in America for “Smart” technologies and we’re showing we can also generate global exposure with partners like Techweek and LaunchKC,” says Solomon. “However, we aren’t planning to slow down until we are the best.”
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For more information about how your company can get involved with the Tech Entrepreneur scene in Kansas City, please contact Drew Soloman, the EDC’s VP of Business and Job Growth. dsolomon@edckc.com (816) 691-2135
For more information about the international business in Kansas City, Missouri, please contact Narbeli Galindo, the EDC’s Director for International Affairs. ngalindo@edckc.com +1(816) 691-2139, +1(800) 889-0636.