October 9, 2015

  • Mycroft becomes Kansas'”most successful Kickstarter campaign ever”

    Mycroft becomes Kansas’”most successful Kickstarter campaign ever”

    Lawrence-based open-source, open-hardware artificial intelligence platform Mycroft raised $127,520 in a 30-day “proof of interest” Kickstarter campaign. Reaching 128 percent of its $99,000 goal makes Mycroft “the most successful Kickstarter campaign ever to come out of Kansas,” according to Chief Technology Officer Ryan Sipes. Mycroft aims to be an affordable alternative to voice-based A.I. systems…

  • Entrepreneurs! Apply to speak at EntreFEST 2016

    Entrepreneurs! Apply to speak at EntreFEST 2016

    Iowa’s largest entrepreneurship and innovation event, EntreFEST, is accepting applications for speakers and breakout sessions for next year’s event. The event will run May 18-20, 2016, in Iowa City, Iowa. “We take a practitioners-helping-practioners approach to speaker selection. We love speakers who’ve been in the trenches,” said Andy Stoll, the event’s lead organizer. “There’s something about…

  • QA with Mercury Fund’s Blair Garrou on VC funding in “the Middle”

    QA with Mercury Fund’s Blair Garrou on VC funding in “the Middle”

    Blair Garrou is the co-founder of Mercury Fund, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Houston, Texas, with an active investment portfolio across the Midwest region. SPN spoke with Garrou over the phone. SPN: As Mercury Fund, what’s attractive about companies in the Midwest? BG: Our core strategy is really investing in companies that aren’t on the coast. We…