Welcome back to another edition of Park Points. Get a quick recap of news, information and events relevant to the mission and vision of KU Innovation Park.
A Region Rising
The Kansas City region has been celebrating this year. A Super Bowl, a new airport and most recently, a designation as a Tech Hub by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. And now, the region is hoping to capitalize on the momentum.
- Excitement was the theme at Mid x Midwest, a regionally focused venture conference that KU Innovation Park interim CEO Adam Courtney attended last week.
- The message was more – more investment, more growth and more capital. “There are good investors across the landscape in Kansas City that are looking for either startup companies or startup funds that are more open to having conversations,” said Brian Scharf, managing director at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
- Read more about the event at Startland News.
Getting Competitive
The Kansas Chamber Foundation recently released a report, the 2023 Kansas Competitiveness Blue Book. It uses data to compare the state’s economic health to the rest of the country based on some key indicators.
- The first spotlight of the report was on innovation and entrepreneurship.
- It shows that Kansas is 32nd in the country for venture capital and 33rd for research and development spending.
- The key takeaways proposed to increase competitiveness include limiting financial barriers for business filings and startup expenses, expanding small business development loans for startups and expanding the Angel Investor Tax Credit program.
Park Company News
- Argenta posted a free whitepaper on its website sharing ways to overcome regulatory hurdles for plant-based feed additives in the animal health industry.
- Rubrik recently announced the launch of Rubrik Ruby, a generative AI companion to its security cloud. Ruby can help customers of all levels of cyber expertise through a response process to get businesses back up and running faster.
- At Biotech Week Boston last month, David Roush, distinguished scientist with Merck, told attendees that sustainability might be an opportunity to innovate. “If you were to start today, you probably would not use the tools we have had for 100 years. It is an opportunity to innovate,” he said. Read the full story from BioProcess International here.
- Congratulations to Heath Robertson, founder and president of VDC Specialists, on being named a 2023 Alumni Fellow by Washburn University! VDC Specialists offers building information modeling services tailored for mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors across the country.
Quick Links
- Congratulations to Belinda Sturm on being named interim Vice Chancellor for Research. Sturm is a professor of civil, environmental and architectural engineering and serves as the director of the Kansas NSF EPSCoR Office.
- The KU School of Business shared its renewed focus on fostering entrepreneurship and innovation.
- A KU Engineering research team is collaborating with Kansas State and the University of Tennessee on a $4 million project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. The project’s goal is to enhance opportunities for students in STEM careers and advance the country’s competitiveness in advanced aerospace technologies.
- Aerospace engineering students at the University of Kansas collected three awards at two international design competitions.
Have news and notes to share? Let Lindsey Slater, vice president of strategic communications, know by clicking here.