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Kansas City’s Swappa provides peer-to-peer marketplace for gently used tech
For years, tech-savvy consumers have bemoaned the planned obsolescence that companies like Apple have encoded into their products like slow-motion time bombs. If consumers have to pay so much for a device that they use everyday, the thinking goes, shouldn’t they be able to fix a cracked screen or replace a dead battery, for instance,…
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C2FO raises another big round of capital
Leawood, Kansas based C2FO raised $200 million last week from a variety of investors, including SoftBank. This fundraising caused the valuation of the company to move over $1B – making it a Silicon Prairie unicorn.[1] C2FO is a payment management platform that helps small businesses received payment on contracts on expedited terms. Essentially, small businesses…
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First fundings research report
In talking to Jessica Straus, Dundee Venture Capital’s new Venture Partner, it occurred to me that we should write an update on first fundings in what Straus called the “mighty middle”. This paper describes first fundings. First fundings are a recordation of companies that raise capital for the first time. This paper uses Pitchbook data…
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Eric Schweikardt: Let’s stop using the word “robotics” and call it technology
I don’t really like that word anymore. Robotics is just technology, it’s just progress. Cars and dishwashers are robots. We don’t need to use the word “robotics” anymore; we can just call it technology.
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Five open-ended questions with the man behind CES, Gary Shapiro
KANSAS CITY— Gary Shapiro is the CEO of Consumer Electronics Association, producers of the world’s largest innovation event, International CES. The International CES is also home to Eureka Park, a village of hundreds of startups showcasing their work. Shapiro is also the best-selling author of Ninja Innovation and The Comeback and has been honored as…
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Black Girls Code is out to change the face of the tech industry
KANSAS CITY—Kimberly Bryant founded Black Girls Code in 2011 to introduce programming to girls of color, hoping to create a more diverse next generation in tech.
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Neil Blumenthal: Everything at Warby Parker starts with our values
KANSAS CITY—Transparency continues to serve as one of Warby Parker’s core values. Blumenthal wanted to treat people the way he wanted to be treated.
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Anita Newton shares her three marketing truths that work anywhere
KANSAS CITY— Anita NewtonAnita Newton has worked in almost every situation, marketing for academia to tech, big brands and even startups. There aren’t many places she hasn’t been and with that much experience she has came up with a few marketing truths:
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Marc Hemeon: “That little play button on YouTube videos? That was me.”
KANSAS CITY— Those who stuck around for the last speaker of Big Kansas City were in for a major treat: Marc Hemeon, who brought laughs by the dozen sprinkled with earnest stories and thoughtful insights.
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Shradha Agarwal: Entrepreneurship is a practice & you have to ask why
KANSAS CITY—When Shradha Agarwal was in fourth grade, she started a secret classroom book club. After she’d devoured all of her parents’ books and been refused an increase in allowance to buy more, Agarwal got entrepreneurial. She decided to charge her classmates to borrow her already-read books to earn money to buy more books. Even…
Silicon Prairie Startup Week is Nov. 11-16, 2024. Learn more »