Silicon Prairie News

Kansas City Articles
4421_2f26a621f0_small July 6, 2012 by Guest Contributor

Kansas City (Guest post by Matt Watson.) Software developers are usually very good problem solvers. So are entrepreneurs. I think a lot of software developers want to start their own business, but they struggle to find the right business idea and problem to solve. I have always loved the challenge of a big problem and I am a third generation entrepreneur. So I would say it was in my blood. But like other developers, I always struggled with what kind of business to start. Lucky for me, one day the opportunity presented itself. While I was in college I sold computers at Sears. On one random day a car dealer came in to buy a computer. He also needed some help with some software he had. Next thing you know, I was … read more

4417_d391119e3d_small July 5, 2012 by Paige Yowell

Kansas City Aaron Sloup, entrepreneur and co-founder of KC Hub, recently announced that he has left his job with Cerner to go full time with his startup Lantern, which makes an app designed to help consumers find deals. Of the six people currently working on Lantern, Sloup is the first to pursue the project on a full-time basis. We conducted an email interview with Sloup (below) to find out what motivated his move and learn what else has happened with the startup since we last checked in, when Lantern launched its app in Google Play in May. Silicon Prairie News: What helped you make the decision to quit your job with Cerner and go full time with Lantern? Aaron Sloup: Lantern is ready for the next step, which is expansion to more … read more

4403_2bb8754c92_small July 2, 2012 by Michael Stacy

Kansas City As we reported last month, KCnext - The Technology Council of Greater Kansas City is hosting an event on July 9 to look at the future of mobile payments. Called GO | The Future of Mobile Payments, the event will … read more

4374_71c1575d79_small June 28, 2012 by Sarah Binder

Kansas City PlanetReuse, a Kansas City, Mo. company that aims to reduce construction and demolition waste, was one of 25 companies honored on Bloomberg Businessweek's list of "America's Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs." "For-profit business can be an instrument for social change," PlanetReuse partner and chief strategy officer Willow Lundgren said Wednesday. Nathan Benjamin, principal and founder, started the company in 2008 with the goal of connecting people seeking reuse materials with those who have … read more

4361_7daca6c5a4_small June 27, 2012 by Annie Sorensen

Kansas City A passion for problem-solving has led Matt Watson to launch Stackify, a software startup that aims to make troubleshooting and support easier for software developers. "I love to build things and I love to solve problems." Watson said. "I like to help users solve their problems and make their lives easier. For some reason it is just fun for me." Watson, a long-time Kansas City, Mo. resident, launched Stackify in January to solve the frustrations developers … read more

4369_d1304cd767_small June 27, 2012 by Michael Stacy

Kansas City In the span of just more than two months, Divshot has progressed from a 60-second Startup Weekend pitch to the precipice of a $25,000 prize. Divshot, a Kansas City, Mo. startup, was selected from a pool … read more

4371_8eca89b6e1_small June 26, 2012 by Bob Specht

Kansas City Michael Raynor is a director at one of the world’s largest consulting firms, Deloitte Consulting, where he works with executives of world-leading companies across a variety of industries. His résumé doesn’t stop there though, as he's also written multiple best-selling books on innovation, including “The Innovator’s Manifesto,” which he published last year. Ten years of consistent study tend to make a person knowledgeable on a subject, and Raynor showed that in delivering … read more

4368_0f11751a45_small June 26, 2012 by Michael Stacy

Kansas City The business of storytelling, Frank Rose says, is experiencing a transformation the likes of which it has seldom seen. The last such shift in storytelling came in the 1950s with the rise of television. Before that, it was the 1920s and the advent of movies. Prior to that, we have to go all the way back to the 19th century and the widespread dissemination of papers and novels to find the sort of disruption … read more

4365_b21e3dca68_small June 26, 2012 by Michael Stacy

Kansas City A repeat entrepreneur, Rachael Qualls has a startup résumé that includes companies like BugleMe, a social media company designed to help celebrities to monetize online content; FastPitch, an event design firm; and Katalyst, an eBay company specializing in the purchase and resale of high-end goods. Through those varied ventures, Qualls (left) has developed a particular distaste for the process of raising money. She shed light on that on June 19, when she spoke at this month's meeting of the Technology Entrepreneur Speakers Program at the offices of Polsinelli … read more

4364_de8a90fb6e_small June 25, 2012 by Danny Schreiber

Kansas City One Week KC, a nine-day series of events designed to inspire, educate and connect Kansas City entrepreneurs, kicked off last Monday with a Demo Day hosted by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. "This part of the day truly is the real deal," event emcee Thad Langford said, "because you are going to see the great entrepreneurs here in … read more

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