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Got A Startup Idea? LaunchKC Has $500,000

LaunchKC
LaunchKC awarded $50,000 to ten entrepreneurs last year at TechWeek Kansas City. Applications are now open for this year's competition.

Entrepreneurs often say one of the hardest parts of getting a new business off the ground is raising enough capital to stay afloat in the initial lean years. 

Metro-based technology funder LaunchKChopes to help bridge those early years for several startups with the latest version of a competition that's set to dole out $500,000 in funding this summer. The group began accepting applications for this year's startup grants competition Friday. 

This is LaunchKC's second annual competition. Last year, almost 500 applicants from around the world entered the competition. Ten companies each received $50,000 grants. Six of themwere from the Kansas City area. The winning startups dealt with everything from retirement planning to commercial drones. 

Applications for this year's competition will be open until July 6, and the winners will be announced at TechWeek Kansas City in September. 

Lisa Rodriguez is a reporter and weekend newscaster for KCUR. She also helps produce KCUR's weekday talk show Up To Date. 

Slow news days are a thing of the past. As KCUR’s news director, I want to cut through the noise, provide context to the headlines, and give you news you can use in your daily life – information that will empower you to make informed decisions about your neighborhood, your city and the region. Email me at lisa@kcur.org or follow me on Twitter @larodrig.
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