Page 7 of 10

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:02 am
by earthling
pash wrote:I think the Startup Village is doing what it's trying to do just fine. Very early-stage ventures with zero revenue and zero funding have very different needs even from start-ups that are just a step or two further along. I'd love to see KCSV continue to thrive as a place to try to get something off the ground, before either failing or moving to more mature digs downtown.
Ditto - KCSV still has its place and purpose, different approach than well funded incubators in Xroads.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:38 am
by FangKC
I agree that KC won't become a tech hub until the City has a major university--whether that be an expansion of UMKC, or Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

It's not just technology-related issues. The City needs a major university that draws talented students from all over the country and world. It is the weak link in our economy and social atmosphere.

UMKC is just not prestigious enough to do that. A major university can change the game entirely over time.

The major reason is because cities with major universities seem to retain talent better, and some students stay in the city and creates businesses.

It's hard to start a university of this type from scratch, so expanding our existing universities seems to be the best route. I think turning KCUMB into a major research university would be the way to go in medical and biological sciences. Programs that worked with Stowers Institute and MRI Global Research would increase the experience of grad students. Institutions like this increase the number of patents issues in the Metro, and businesses that grow as a result. Expanding UMKC into areas like law, engineering, and business would improve the talent pool for the Metro. It would be great if we could quadruple the number of physicians and nurses graduating from UMKC. A lot of people assume UMKC graduates the most physicians in the area, but it's actually KCUMB that does. A program in international medicine would draw more people from outside the country into Kansas City.

Funding the universities so they can expand their campuses, faculties, and enrollment is sorely needed. We also really need to attract more immigrants into Kansas City via our universities because they often end up staying in the city where they were educated, and starting businesses.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 10:07 am
by earthling
Yeah, KC has growing medical research already and of course very strong animal health research in region but the tech research isn't much at the university level. KU maybe has better chance of growing it than UMKC but UMKC should at least develop some tech research programs and have long term goals. UMKC is strong with their entrepreneur program though, which helps that angle (along with Kauffman Foundation and more incubators appearing).

Many may not know this - Lawrence then Lenexa used to be home to the Bluetooth org but it moved to Seattle where there is more research mentality. That was over 10 years ago. With KC' recent momentum, maybe it would have stayed but probably better chance if there were stronger academic research.

KC metro otherwise needs to focus on other industries that have not grown well last couple years. Most white collar job categories are doing fine, other KC industries are growing behind national avg lately.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 1:33 pm
by FangKC
We need to land one of WinSun's 3D house printing factories.
Today's display site featured also a single-story house pre-ordered by the Egyptian government, which will soon be shipped to Egypt. As Ma explained, "This house was printed within a single day, and is part of a total order of 20,000 units."

And if the 3D printed villa and 6-storey residential house weren't enough, WinSun made three additional announcements today. The first is that they will collaborate with Nile Sand Material Technology Co. LTD. Within two years, both companies plan to establish 12 Dream Factories in desert using a sand 3D printer developed by WinSun. They are currently looking for new materials to be combined with the sand. Ma said that its energy and material saving abilities, as well as the environmental protection it offers, are the greatest advantages of 3D printed architecture. They have found that desert sand is an excellent building material, which can be used to create sand fixation walls and vertical green walls for the desertification control of the sand.

WinSun also signed contracts with Winsun Global, is a joint venture consisting of Winsun and an American company. Over the next three years, they will set up factories in Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E, Qatar, Morocco, Tunisia and the United States and more than other 20 countries, in order to popularize 3D printing building. They also aim to – especially for the Middle East and Africa – to provide cheap and efficient homes for low-income families. The first series of 3D printing equipment are already set to be shipped abroad.
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20150118- ... -china.html

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:14 am
by earthling
There is a new mobile cell technology being developed called pCell that may compete with LTE 4G. It pumps several times more data for every hertz compared to LTE and doesn't have cellsite congestion issues to same degree as LTE. San Fran is getting it first. KC is planned to become the next market. All because of Google Fiber presence...
However this plays out, the world of internet services is evolving. And it’s evolving in myriad ways, ways that will let us mix and match services into bigger and better things. Perlman says that after launching in San Francisco, he and Artemis plan to roll out pCell in Kansas City, solely because it offers Google Fiber. Google’s high-speed landline service, you see, can provide a backbone for his high-speed wireless service. “It’s no accident that Kansas City is where we want to go,” he says.
http://www.wired.com/2015/03/googles-ne ... -internet/

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:31 am
by earthling
KC selected to beta test a new AAA cloud-based video game from Final Fantasy developers, yes Google Fiber users...
http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/13/shinr ... nsas-city/

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Mon May 11, 2015 10:04 pm
by earthling
HuffPost article about KC scoring a TechWeek conference for at least 5 years. Is only in 5 other cities. KC pics from the rag's own Eric Bowers.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-gri ... 36156.html
Now besides barbecue, Techweek was very impressed with Kansas City's growing downtown and re-rise of its urban center spearheaded by not only economic development, but also by the successful tech scene. Techweek leadership, including Executive Director Sam Kennedy, were blown away by Kansas City's innovative ideas, infrastructure and initiative, as well as the commitment to driving technology in its downtown area. Kennedy said, "Kansas City is particularly exciting right now for the nationally significant initiatives they have, such as Cisco's Smart City and Google Fiber." In addition to these initiatives Kennedy is also excited about the global significance of Kansas City. "There are many global tech companies based in Kansas City. Companies such as Sprint, Garmin, Cerner, VML, H&R Block and DST are extremely successful and when you combine these successes with the number one entrepreneurial resource, research and programming institution in the world, the Kauffman Foundation, it was very clear that we wanted to be in Kansas City."

Techweek is making a five-year commitment to build and grow this "SXSW style" event in Kansas City. Techweek and Launch KC are hoping for attendance numbers between 3,000 and 5,000 people for the flag planting first year in KC.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 9:56 pm
by pash
.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 10:38 pm
by earthling
Would be nice if Garmin could get more involved. They seem to have very little connection with KC on many levels compared to other local companies.

As mentioned in other thread, it's time for the regional universities to step up to the tech plate in order for KC to reach the level of a real tech/startup region. Latest Kauffman entrepreneurial report says KC fell behind in entrepreneurial growth over last year.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2015 8:48 am
by flyingember
I went looking, and later decided it wasn't worth it, at graduate programs in IT.

KC needs a handful of great advanced IT programs.
-An true IT technology program that's a step above a technology training program but isn't a full MBA course. Like get a Masters in CIS. Something that helps someone become an enterprise architect or a CTO.
-A great IT management program with a strong focus on technology, sales, marketing and such with a strong tech focus. a degree to let someone plan upgrades, hire well and work within a budget. a strong tech CIO or COO program.
-An advanced programming degree. languages, deployment management, customer relations, certifications in programming management methods (agile) and such
-An industrial tech MBA program. bridge technology and practical engineering. Have the course be hands on in factories and in the classroom.

and let someone complete most of the programs 100% online or have the in person aspects be on the weekend

My ideal program was at Missouri State in Springfield, it was a MS in CIS degree, but the schedule required spending a week there multiple times a year which does not line up with working full time. But I could make going down all day Saturday once a month work.

I would strongly consider a masters program where I went on site on Saturday for a practicum and then could complete the course work at 9pm on a week night and the work covered practical matters like security, databases, IT frameworks and such.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 2:46 pm
by earthling
NY gaming company chooses KC for first beta test (because of Google Fiber)...
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... -test.html
Residents who participate can access free games, such as Tomb Raider, Final Fantasy VII and Shinra's The Living World demo, which will make its streaming debut in Kansas City. The Living World taps into Shinra's "supercomputing gaming," which uses multiple servers to create one game world. The demo doesn't have loading screens and includes realistic simulations of water and real-time terrain deformation, a capability not available on current gaming systems. It also features 16,000 artificial intelligence mini-dragons that each think independently, an unprecedented feat in multiplayer gaming. To entice more people to participate in the beta testing, Shinra will give away prizes for completing certain feats in its games.
If you have Google Fiber, can signup to beta test here...
https://beta.shinra.com/

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 4:02 pm
by earthling
Medical Management company moving HQ from NC to Overland Park. Small company but not a bad score, sounds like they want a piece of Cerner workforce...

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... ation.html
Berkley selected Overland Park over Nashville and Dallas for its relocation. The company was established in July 2014 and was previously based in Greensboro, N.C.

Berkley CEO Patricia Onion said the unit of W.R. Berkley Corp. considered cost of living and housing in its decision, but a main factor was availability of workforce. Berkley is looking for a combination of medical and technical skills, which they saw in Kansas City.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2015 4:57 pm
by bobbyhawks
earthling wrote:Medical Management company moving HQ from NC to Overland Park. Small company but not a bad score, sounds like they want a piece of Cerner workforce...

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... ation.html
Berkley selected Overland Park over Nashville and Dallas for its relocation. The company was established in July 2014 and was previously based in Greensboro, N.C.

Berkley CEO Patricia Onion said the unit of W.R. Berkley Corp. considered cost of living and housing in its decision, but a main factor was availability of workforce. Berkley is looking for a combination of medical and technical skills, which they saw in Kansas City.
Gotta give kudos to the Kansas side for landing something that wasn't already in the metro. This is good news for the region.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 4:00 pm
by pash
.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2015 2:58 pm
by earthling
Lengthy article about Google Fiber impact on KC...

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7e18b044 ... 2cfcd.html

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 5:29 am
by missingkc
Am I missing something or is the Kauffman Foundation noticeably absent from many tech/startup activities and projects in KC ? Tech Week KC, for example.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:11 pm
by kboish
I've been hearing some very cool stuff about techweek in KC. I didn't realize the founder of Tinder was from KC (he moved away to LA). I found this snippet from an article interesting
I'm so excited about it because I love Kansas City. I did not move away from Kansas City for lack of love. … I hope to get back here in the near future," he said. "I'm so excited that there's a thriving tech scene and a growing tech scene to come back to."
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/n ... -city.html

I'm probably reading to much into the quote...I'm sure he was just playing to the crowd.

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 4:07 pm
by earthling
Nice to see all of this happening. KC is doing a pretty good job capitalizing on the recent scores like Google Fiber, Cisco's Smart City (Internet of Things), TechWeek conference and a lot of things happening like Startup Village, attracting some startups outside KC and getting a little better attracting venture capital, etc. But is curious that the STEM employment growth rate is apparently not as high as it was before Google Fiber actually started to deliver service.

KC Metro Pro Biz Sci/Tech STEM employment (excluding telcom and medical industries, includes general engineering) over 10 years. Has slowed down a bit after Google Fiber started to deploy...
Image

Around 80K is still abnormally high for a market KC's size, especially considering no major research universities.

Here are Pro Sci/Tech employment #'s for other markets in comparison (with + if growing or - shrinking since Aug of last year)...
Denver 125K+
Minneapolis 128K+
Phoenix 103K+
Austin 91K+ (shot past KC over last couple years, though KC higher with information/telcom that isn't included)
KC 79K+
STL 74K-
Miami 74K+
Orlando 72K+
Portland 71K+
Cincy 64K+
Cleveland 56K-
Columbus 66K+
Charlotte 61K+
Indy 58K+
SLC 50K+

KC's SciTech is higher % ratio of total employment than MSP, Phoenix and most larger markets.

Source: (Click on State/Metro, Pro Biz Service, Pro Sci Tech Services)....
http://data.bls.gov/pdq/querytool.jsp?survey=sm

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 12:25 pm
by earthling
Here are Information employment #'s for other markets in comparison (with + if growing or - shrinking since Aug of last year).

Information includes telcom, publishing (software and print), data processing, and I think newspapers/radio/TV.
Denver 42K-
Minneapolis 40K-
Phoenix 35K-
KC 29.7K (stagnant lately, peaked to 57K in 2000 before Sprint fallout, ATT/SW Bell reducing and publishing/media fallout)
STL 29.4K+
Austin 26K+
Miami 19K+
Portland 25K+
Charlotte 25K+
Orlando 24K-
SLC 20K+
Columbus 17K-
Indy 17K-
Cleveland 15K+
Cincy 14K-

Pretty high for KC's market size, though Sprint and related contractors are still a decent chunk.

Source: (Click on State/Metro, Information, Information)....
http://data.bls.gov/pdq/querytool.jsp?survey=sm

Re: KC sci|tech|startups|entrepreneurial thread

Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 8:35 am
by town cow
Go Midwest, Young Techie: This focuses on Lincoln, but KC comes out pretty fine in the graphic: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... -285461505