Kansas City Mayor Sly James will be giving his second State Of The City Speech today.
To wit . . .
CHECK THIS KICK-ASS KANSAS CITY INTERNETS FACT CHECK FROM A LOCAL TECH INSIDER THAT CHALLENGES HYPE AND OFFERS PERSPECTIVE ON LOCAL NUMBERS!!!
We've done some major editing to these comments but, like all Internets denizens, there's a great deal of hyperlink proof to back up these assertions . . .
Here goes . . .
"Today the mayor is going to talk a lot about entrepreneurship and tech companies, the article below should give you some basis on how that's not ACTUALLY going well in the city. I've been some meetings with city leadership and it's always about how to market the city and how to spin shit, it's rarely about solving any real problems."
"Until the KC can find a way to more aggressively keep the young tech folks here, they will keep leaving. The mayor hasn't outlined anything in his budget, he just talks about this STUFF to look cool."
Example from this Kansas City tech expert:
"Last year, the entire state of Missouri raised only $21 million, out of the $26.5 BILLION deployed in U.S. venture capital. (that's about .079% of all venture dollars—aka NOTHING."
Then we were directed to a story of Kansas City Internets Start-Up Success:
Kansas City-born Divshot closes $1.1m seed round, lays roots in LA
"These guys just raised $1.1 million dollars to build their company, almost all from the west coast."
Article quote/review:
"In addition to the Santa Monica-based venture capital firm, the startup's first round of funding includes investment from 500 Startups, Daher Capital, Floodlight Ventures, Cooley LLP, Drummond Road Capital and Eric Hammond. No Kansas City investors participated in the round—the sole Midwest investor is Cleveland, Ohio-based Drummond."
"As to whether or not this latest development means their hometown won't see the duo anymore, Bleigh, who referred to Divshot as a Silicon Prairie expat company, said both he and Johnson have family in Kansas City so they'll always have ties to the area. "I'm sure we'll also make our way back for hackathons and conferences from time to time, spreading the word about Divshot," Bleigh said."
Yeah, that doesn't really sound like Kansas City at the center of a tech revolution . . . Just some guys promising they'll write home often.
One last note from this Kansas City Tech Insider . . .
"Zarrly, which was a big story in KC, moved nearly everyone to California, so did AgLocal."
And so . . .
If/when the Mayor touts Kansas City tech and Internets progress today . . . We need to thanks KICK-ASS TKC TIPSTERS for offering perspective and data that reveals this town's tech investment and legislative efforts really aren't that significant in the grand scheme of things.
DEVELOPING . . .
Google took my money a year ago and they have not announced a single expansion since the initial two areas. It is looking more and more like a fraud to me.
ReplyDeleteFile a report with the Attorney General, BBB. That will get you your money back.
DeleteI am gonna ask a stupid question because I don't understand money, the "internets" and do believe the article.
ReplyDeleteWith the advent of Google Fiber, I, like many other uninformed and naive citizes without a finger on the pulse of advent business' that require or demand huge bandwidth and speed, are confused about the lack optimism concerning the future of start ups in KC.
Go ahead and insult me for my lack of savy with regard to the benefits of high speed internet access and the (I thought) marraige of start up tech business' but I thought it was a big deal.
Because Google fiber is a fraud?
ReplyDeleteKeep talent? What talent? If people are so talented how come they can't even figure out how to afford even a used Ford Escort to get around downtown from their river market loft to crown center?
ReplyDeleteState of The City - Situation Normal All Fucked Up.
ReplyDeleteIs Google Fiber a fraud?
ReplyDeleteA fraud in terms of time it takes to get it up and running?
A fraud in terms of the speed it promised and has yet to deliver?
A fraud in terms of promises made with respect to who, where and when it would serve?
A fraud in terms of the politicians promising something they did not understand (Like me)?
I don't get it.
We need to attract and retain blah blah blah
ReplyDeleteOne of our bigger tech startup successes has been give a hacker a home. Which has raised a whopping $120.00 since last years launch.
ReplyDeleteHint hint
Was going to go but I fear I'd nod off and go to sleep during Sly's rap.
ReplyDeleteDon't fear once the choo choo streetcar is running everyone from the major tech centers on the coast will move to downtown Kansas City!! NATCH!
ReplyDeleteI'm 19 and just moved to Kansas City. I code and want to start up a business, it's an iPhone app that lets you hook up easier with barbecue lovers. If anyone has a place where I can crash please me know. I need free rent, food, etc for three months.
ReplyDeleteUntil the earnings tax is eliminated, business will keep moving out of KCMO.
ReplyDeleteGood luck kid.
ReplyDeleteStay off of the moors and watch out for the Moor.
I hate the Moor, you will too.
After ten years of blogging I'm finally earning .65 cents a day. Someday the investors will recognize the enormous earning potential, and I can live my dream of being an influential blogger. So I keep on working toward that dream, knowing someone will discover me eventually. And maybe I'll even get on TV.
ReplyDeleteIts all bullshit!! Sly doesn't know dick about tech, and Mike Burke, what a joke.
ReplyDeleteThese guys are scumbag lawyers who think they can fool people into thinking something is happening in KC. NOTHING is happening.
Basketball and barbecue, that's a great future.
google fiber won't bring tech biz. look at their ads. it's a tv service (with limited internet functionality).
ReplyDeleteChuck, to answer your question:
ReplyDeleteGoogle fiber is just google's attempt to be a fiber optic cable and internet provider. It nearly bankrupted T but they want to try it again on a small scale.
Think about any business...the main expenses are human capital labor and inventory. If it's something ephemeral like an IPhone app then there is no inventory, only costly development labor and small amounts of overhead.
Google is saving a small business maybe 50 bucks a month, maybe.
We don't have a lot of tech startups here because:
1) We have not a single major Venure Capital firm here in KC that is ranked in the top 100.
2) We don't have any elite computer science programs that are in the top 100 within 500 miles.
UMKC has actually tried to address this problem with creating an entrepreneur school that matches people up with VC investors. It opens in the new building next year. Maybe it will make a positive impact.