In 2019, the city was featured by MarketWatch as one of America’s Top 5 emerging tech hot spots. In 2020 and 2021 the Chiefs put help put Kansas City on the sporting world’s radar as they competed in back to back Super Bowls. And today, it has a growing reputation for being a place where women rule in tech, as it is the only city in America where women on average earn more than men.
Talent Abound
Part of the reason Kansas City has seen success as a tech hub is because of its talent pool, ideal for companies looking to grow a diverse workforce. Young and hungry candidates come from the many nearby colleges and universities. Many of the city’s anchor institutions and key employers offer internships and apprenticeships to help train the next generation of talent from the ground up, helping to foster better contenders and a homegrown community advantage.
Quality of Life
Kansas City offers rich cultural activities outside of football, including historic jazz traditions and delicious food. From BBQ to jazz clubs and bars to museums like The National World War I Museum and the American Jazz Museum, the city’s activities are endless. It also boasts an active, collaborative job market and low cost of living.
Cybersecurity Growth
Kansas City boasts a robust cybersecurity industry, employing nearly 7,000 people. This tech sub-sector continues to flourish thanks to unique geographical positioning and an excellent talent pool, including the FBI regional HQ office, U.S. Army’s Combined Arms Center HQ, and the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center.
At One America Works, we support emerging tech hubs from coast to coast. Learn more about Kansas City’s tech identity in this issue of The Midpoint.
Inside this issue
- The Cybersecurity Industry in Kansas City
- 2021 Kansas City’s VC-Backed Companies Report
- KC cattle tech, Vytelle, closes oversubscribed $13.2M round
- LaunchKC pick 4 insurtech startups for 2021 accelerator
- Kansas City Startups Meet Coastal Venture Capitalists
Kansas City boasts a robust cybersecurity industry, employing nearly 7,000 people. This tech sub-sector continues to flourish in KC thanks to unique geographical positioning and an excellent talent pool, including the FBI regional HQ office, U.S. Army’s Combined Arms Center HQ, and the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center. Kansas City is capable of continued growth, and as the need for cybersecurity becomes more prevalent, KC is equipped to continue growing with that need – making it a greater powerhouse in the industry. Read More
Higher headcounts and more than a billion dollars in funds raised. The 2021 Kansas City Venture Capital-Backed Companies Report provides a rare snapshot into the bustling, two-state metro’s growth-stage, venture-backed companies.
The 2021 report — the culmination of a three-month collaboration between UMKC’s Technology Venture Studio and Startland News — reflects not only ongoing deal flow, but resiliency among companies weathering pandemic challenges and capitalizing on new opportunities. Read More
Vytelle’s platform — combining a breakthrough in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology, an animal performance data capture system, and an artificial intelligence based genetic analytics engine — provides progressive cattle producers the technology to multiply the impact of elite livestock productivity and profitability. It’s seen rapid growth since its launch in 2020, currently serving cattle producers in 21 countries. Read More
The partnership of LaunchKC and Kansas City-based BCP Tech has chosen four insurance technology startups to provide a boost through its 2021 accelerator program.
The companies — Phoenix-based Insurmi, Toronto-based Jauntin’, Munich-based MotionsCloud and Toronto-based Relay Platform — will receive investment and business mentoring through the initiative, which began Sept. 20 and will run for 60 days. Read More
Comeback Capital and gener8tor are kicking off their national investment tour. First up, Kansas City. Tune in on October 5th at 1:30pm EST to learn about the state of the ecosystem and to watch up-and-coming Kansas City startups – Epigraph, Kadogo, Techmate, Veeper – as they pitch coastal VCs: Village Global, NextGen Venture Partners, Expa, GGV Capital, MAVA Ventures & Revolution. Register Here
