Posted by: Steve Roatch, CEO of Twentyseven Global
On Wednesday, I was lucky enough to represent Twentyseven Global at the Kansas City Tech Cocktail event at Boulevard Brewery. The inaugural event did not disappoint, bringing in nearly 400 of the brightest technology and business professionals in the Kansas City area. The team at Twentyseven Global wants to congratulate all of the technology startups that were nominated for Tech Cocktail’s “hottest Kansas City startup,” including five of our clients and partners, and a special congratulations to Stackify for being announced as the winner.
Here is an article from The Kansas City Business Journal that recaps this awesome event.
Tech Cocktail serves startups big crowds, business opportunities
There’s a lot more opportunity for technology companies in Kansas City than people know, DST Systems Inc. CIO Vercie Lark said.
“People know about the big names,” Lark said, citing Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S) and Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN) as examples.
But when it comes to up-and-comers in the local tech and entrepreneurship community, “Quite frankly, there’s not been a lot of good forums for them to connect in Kansas City,” he said.
That’s why DST backed a Wednesday night event aimed at highlighting 16 Kansas City-area tech startups.
Tech Cocktail’s inaugural appearance in Kansas City was expected to draw about 200 people. But the business mixer at Boulevard Brewing Co. attracted closer to 400 after organizers released last-minute tickets to the sold-out event in response to demand, said Frank Gruber, CEO of Tech Cocktail LLC. The Chicago-based event-media organization, founded in 2006, is known for its startup showcases on the coasts.
“Look at this turnout,” Lark told the crowd. “I am hoping this is not the last one of these.”
New startups on display, such as FormZapper.com, a two-employee outfit in Kansas City, Kan., were looking to meet potential clients.