2 minute read
Growth and innovation drive KC's tech scene.
by KC Options
By ANN CLIFFORD
Kansas City’s tech scene, which was in growth mode well before the pandemic, is getting even hotter with the region’s increasing work-fromanywhere capabilities. In recognition of KC’s rapid growth in tech jobs since 2015, the Brookings Institute ranks the market as one of its “rising star metros” for tech.
KC is well-known as a healthtech hub thanks to companies including Netsmart, Quest Analytics, WellSky and Cerner, the last of which became part of Oracle following its multi-billion-dollar acquisition in 2022.
In recent years, KC has also established itself as a center for cybersecurity. Torch.AI, named one
of America’s best startups by Forbes in 2022, is leading the industry with cutting-edge artificial intelligence-powered data processing. And the recent merger of locally-based Fishtech Group and the Herjavec Group (helmed by Robert Herjavec of Shark Tank) formed a new cyber defense-focused company — Cyderes — based in KC, London and Toronto.
With KC in the heart of the Animal Health Corridor — the largest concentration of animal health companies in the world — startups including Fitbark and Vytelle are focused on utilizing tech and data intelligence to accelerate the industry. Companies such as DSI and SafetyCulture
capitalize on the region’s strengths in industrial technology; and the decisions by Meta to build its hyperscale data center and by Panasonic to develop its 4,000-employee EV battery plant in KC further solidify the region’s future as a technology center.
Fueling this growth is the market’s skilled workforce, with the number of tech workers continuing to rise. The region’s commitment to expanding its talent pool can be seen in immersion programs like KC STEM Alliance’s Code Ninjas, which targets kids ages 5 to 14, and the KC Tech Council’s Apprenti program, which provides apprenticeship opportunities to individuals looking to transition into technology.
