When you think of technology epicenters in the United States, Silicon Valley, Boston, and Austin likely come to mind first. But Kansas? Located squarely in the nation‘s breadbasket, this Midwestern state has quietly nurtured technology and innovation assets that position it for substantial high-tech growth in the decade ahead.
This in-depth guide explores the major players, rising startups, and supportive ecosystem elements priming Kansas‘ expansion in fields like precision agriculture, advanced engineering, and renewable energy. Let‘s dive in to the emerging "Silicon Prairie!"
Giant Tech Leaders With Deep Kansas Roots
Kansas boasts some technology titans driving billions in global revenue each year across hardware manufacturing, complex infrastructure projects worldwide, and vast logistics networks enabling modern commerce.
Garmin Powers Global Navigation Innovation
Consumer electronics powerhouse Garmin began its journey in Lenexa, Kansas back in 1989 led by founders Gary Burrell and Min Kao. Its GPS-enabled products now provide global positioning, navigation and communication capabilities spanning automotive dashboards to wrist-worn fitness trackers to advanced solutions for marine vessels and aircraft.
Thanks to sustained heavy investment in R&D and strategic acquisitions, Garmin has cemented itself as an international leader in GPS innovation for over 30 years now:
| Year | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $4.98B | >18,000 |
| 2020 | $4.19B | >16,000 |
| 2019 | $3.76B | >15,000 |
Even as it has grown to over 18,000 employees operating across offices globally, Garmin remains headquartered in Olathe, Kansas. Continued expansion of its Kansas staff supports core engineering design/testing and customer service functions.
And in 2021, Garmin marked Kansas roots by establishing an on-site aviation facility to boost pilot training resources conveniently close to home base.
Black & Veatch: Building Critical Infrastructure Worldwide Since 1915
Black & Veatch provides essential engineering and construction expertise for complex projects across water, energy, and data services. Founded in Kansas in 1915, their work enables community development across education, healthcare, government and commercial sectors globally.
A few headline projects from Black & Veatch last year include:
- A 70 million gallon per day seawater desalination plant in Oman.
- Flood control infrastructure protecting over 150,000 Houston residents from future disasters.
- Data center portfolio advisory resolving over $1 billion in underperforming assets.
Black & Veatch continues to pioneer solutions for more sustainable infrastructure as well. Recent work incorporates solar power generation, intelligent water reclamation, and emissions control innovations.
Now with over 100 global offices, this industry vanguard still maintains headquarters in Overland Park, Kansas. In its 2021 fiscal year, the company delivered:
| Metric | 2021 Performance |
|---|---|
| Revenue | >$3 billion |
| Sustainability Investment | 1% profits donated |
And Black & Veatch reaffirmed Kansas roots by launching a new Precision Agriculture Design Center to support emergent farming technologies last year.
YRC Worldwide Keeps Global Supply Chains Running
Whether machinery components, sensitive medical supplies, or computers bound for retailers, companies worldwide trust YRC Worldwide brands to ship over 30 million items across North America annually.
Formed through a series of mergers culminating in a name change to YRC Worldwide in 1999, this transportation giant reliably coordinates continental commerce from its home office in Overland Park.
And in 2021, YRC Worldwide marked its 7th straight year of revenue over $5 billion:
| Year | Annual Revenue |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $5.18 billion |
| 2020 | $4.51 billion |
| 2019 | $4.87 billion |
Via brands including YRC Freight, Holland, Reddaway, and New Penn, the company provides comprehensive logistics services spanning truckload shipping, cross-border, and managed transportation solutions.
Innovations like real-time tracking and item condition monitoring continue modernizing its operational capabilities and customer experience. And enhancements across its fleet improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions underscore this Kansas transportation leader‘s commitment to sustainable goods movement.
Top Startups Driving Kansas‘ Next Tech Revolution
But it‘s not just major staples powering Kansas‘ technology momentum. Scores of disruptive startups are planting roots in the Sunflower State as well, drawn by access to technical talent, beta customer opportunities, and growth-focused policies.
Let‘s explore some groundbreaking emerging innovators across key economic sectors:
Agoro Carbon Alliance – Climate Change Solutions
Seeking to combat climate change profitably may seem contradictory, but that is the niche Kansas startup Agoro Carbon Alliance has managed to crack.
Founded in 2021 right in the state‘s capital of Topeka, Agoro has created a blockchain-based platform enabling corporations to transparently invest in regenerative agriculture projects reducing carbon emissions. Land stewards also participate, sharing best practices that improve soil quality, biodiversity and drought resilience.
Agoro closed a $2.5 million seed funding round in 2022 to expand its team and registry of planet-friendly farmland parcels meeting verified sustainability criteria.
Backers include leading Kansas impact investors and agricultural organizations. With collaborators spanning global food producers to specialty crop growers, Agoro sits at the intersection of blockchain technology and environmental accountability – both booming spaces.
Bardavon Health Innovations – Digital Healthcare
Overland Park-based Bardavon Health Innovations looks to ease administrative headaches for medical professionals via enhanced electronic records systems.
Their flagship product, AWARE, integrates previously siloed patient data feeds from disparate sources using advanced natural language processing. This presents physicians and nurses a unified interactive interface improving accuracy and saving hours of manual reconciliation efforts each week.
Since 2017, Bardavon has raised $51 million in funding to support AWARE‘s launch across leading Kansas healthcare networks and expand nationwide. Their early success highlights the opportunity in healthcare IT infrastructure modernization.
Eventable – Event Management Software
Event planning software developer Eventable streamlines processes like attendee registration and payment collection for meeting organizers nationwide.
But the Overland Park firm differentiates itself by enabling simple ticket resale/transfers between guests via integrated waitlists and messaging tools as well. Eventable also provides robust data for hosts to optimize future happenings based on actual demand signals.
These user-focused capabilities have fueled over 500% revenue growth since Eventable‘s 2015 founding. And $11 million funding raised recently is enabling development of enhanced features like automated text alerts around event changes.
Factors Priming Kansas as America‘s Next Premier Tech Hub
From roots advancing agricultural production to aviation pioneers changing how we connect globally, Kansas is no stranger to leveraging technology for transformative change.
Today though, Kansas‘ economic development efforts, research infrastructure, and overall business climate are setting the stage for unprecedented high-tech expansion statewide:
Top-Tier Access to Skilled Technology Talent
Kansas boasts highly-ranked technology training programs across its university system:
- The University of Kansas, designated an "Innovation & Economic Prosperity University" by the APLU, fuels expertise in biosciences, data analytics, drones and IT.
- Kansas State University, recently launching the Bulk Solids Innovation Center focused on food and agriculture technologies research partnerships with leading consumer product goods companies.
- Wichita State University provides specialized education supporting over 400 aerospace parts suppliers and manufactures clustered regionally.
These institutes and community college technical programs collectively supply over 15,000 STEM grads annually for Kansas‘ tech workforce.
Attractive Operating Costs and Business Incentives
Kansas actively courts technology sector growth using both cost competitiveness and supportive incentives:
- Commercial office space rents 15-20% below national averages in core metro areas.
- Targeted tax credits from 6.5-10% help offset R&D and operational overhead for tech firms.
- The HPIP program refunds technical graduates‘ tuition up to 5 years to retain talent.
- Equity crowdfunding regulation simplification enables startups faster access to angel investor capital.
These compelling attributes helped Kansas secure the 3rd spot in Business Facilities 2022 ranking of startup ecosystem growth potential nationwide.
Momentum of Innovation Support Programs
Beyond attracting outside tech companies, Kansas also cultivates local founders through courses, competitions and mentorship:
- Over 200 entrepreneurs have completed the Venture Acceleration Program hosted by NetWork Kansas since 2007, launching dozens of tech ventures collectively raising over $300 million.
- The HISpro program based at Wichita State provides specialized guidance for early-stage health IT startups, including facilitated pilot opportunities across its partner care networks.
- Hackathons organized across Kansas universities drive prototype development; many student projects have evolved into stock-award winning early stage companies.
This "homegrown" startup momentum synergizes with Kansas‘ welcoming mat for veteran technology firms eyeing geographic diversification into more affordable regions boasting technical knowledge workers.
The result is an innovation engine fueling breakthroughs in precision agriculture equipment, weather modeling technologies and custom software solutions purpose-built for the underserved challenges rural communities face nationwide.
The Forecast Calls for Sunny Tech Sector Growth
While Kansas will likely always identify first as America‘s breadbasket, its embrace of technology advancement across core industries positions the state for immense opportunity:
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A Kauffman Foundation review found Kansas producing the 5th highest rate of technology startup formation among smaller population states recently.
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Medicaid management innovator TruCentive selecting Kansas for a major hospital partnership supporting statewide maternal health data analytics efforts, citing its strong healthcare IT workforce.
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Overall projected annual job growth of 2% in computer systems and 6% in management, scientific and technical consulting outpacing national averages.
So while the coasts grab glitzy tech headlines today, smart money also keeps eyes trained on the heartland. Because Kansas offers the right ingredients for technologies and companies primed for long term, sustainable success without sticker shock costs hampering similar regions.
The Sunflower State shines bright as both agricultural production epicenter and welcoming springboard for advanced innovations in transportation equipment, alternative energy, precision farming techniques and data-rich services improving lives.
