It’s no secret that Kansas City
is gaining traction as a hotbed for technology startups and entrepreneurship in
general. Startland News, a digital publication, is not only giving a voice to
startup businesses, but offers a platform for individuals, corporations and
organizations that support entrepreneurship to be heard and to spread the news
about innovation in the metro area.
Bobby Burch, Editor-in-Chief of Startland News, itself a startup, shared
insights about the impressive growth of entrepreneurial business in Kansas
City, particularly in the hardware and software tech sector, at a lunch meeting
with Kansas City IABC’s Independent Communicators group.
Bobby is first and foremost a
journalist. He learned the ins and outs of the trade at the Ottawa Herald and
the Kansas City Business Journal, where he honed his reporting and electronic
publishing skills. But he soon yearned to try something new and saw a niche
opportunity that the mainstream media was not sufficiently covering.
In May 2015, he launched
Startland News as a website and digital publication. Initially the goal was to
grow profits by the traditional method of selling advertising space on the
site, but that model has evolved to that of a nonprofit, under the umbrella of
the KC Startup Foundation. Funding comes from various sources; major
contributors include the Kauffman Foundation and the Polsinelli law firm, Bobby
says.
Although based in Kansas City
with a focus on the KC startup community, about 50 percent of subscribers are
based elsewhere, with large pockets in St. Louis, Chicago, and of course,
Silicon Valley, Bobby says. Startland News pushes out three new editions weekly
and subscriptions are free.
Startland News was honored in
April with a 2017 Cornerstone Award, presented by the Economic Development
Corporation of Kansas City. The annual awards, which just celebrated their 30th year, recognize people,
projects, businesses, programs, initiatives and events that drive economic
development and growth in Kansas City.
“We aim to be a resource and
advocate for innovators and early-stage businesses, but also serve as
storytellers for the larger network of stakeholders in the entrepreneurial
community,” Bobby explains.
Not just a cheerleader for
startups, Startland News also covers failed businesses, mainly from the
standpoint of lessons learned from the experience, he adds. “Sometimes it’s
just cathartic to be able to talk about a business that started out as a great
idea, but that didn’t succeed for various reasons,” he said.
For a free subscription, visit Startlandnews.com. For more on the
impressive growth of entrepreneurship in Kansas City, see Bobby’s recent
article, Kauffman report:
KC startup momentum builds for 3 years running, improves national rank.
