Kansas City's Most Innovative Companies Of 2023

Editor's note: Are you a developer that loves building things? There's $22500 up for grabs at this year's Hack Midwest, along with a $10000 grand prize from H&R Block! Join us at Kansas City's largest app building challenge with 300+ developers on September 23-24. Show off your skills, win prizes and make new friends!

Who's helping to add to KC's momentum as a leading tech hub?

In the lead up to Hack Midwest (KC's largest app building challenge September 23-24th with $22500 up for grabs and 300+ software engineers), we wanted to give recognition to those companies that are truly supporting innovation in this city...as well as the region.

That's why we're extremely excited to announce our list of Kansas City's Most Innovative Companies for 2023.

RX Savings Solutions

Founded by a pharmacist, Rx Savings Solutions helps people and payers reduce prescription drug costs through a combination of clinical technology, transparency, member engagement and concierge support. Currently 17 million members have access to personalized recommendations for lowering prescription costs and dedicated pharmacy experts to help navigate benefits, providers and pharmacies.

H&R Block

H&R Block, Inc. provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation services, financial products, and small-business solutions. The company blends digital innovation with human expertise and care as it helps people get the best outcome at tax time and also be better with money using its mobile banking app, Spruce. Through Block Advisors and Wave, the company helps small-business owners thrive with innovative products like Wave Money, a mobile-first, small-business bank account and bookkeeping solution that manages bookkeeping automatically.

Ascend Learning

Ascend Learning products - from testing to certification, are used by frontline healthcare workers, physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, certified personal trainers, group fitness instructors, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers.

Spring Venture Group

Spring Venture Group is a leading digital direct-to-consumer sales and marketing company with product offerings focused on the senior market. They specialize in distributing Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, and related products via their family of brands and dedicated team of licensed insurance agents. Powered by their unique technologies that combine sophisticated marketing, comparison shopping, sales execution, and customer engagement – they help thousands of seniors across the country navigate the complex world of Medicare every day.

SS&C

SS&C is a global provider of services and software for the financial services and healthcare industries. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut, we have offices around the world. Some 18,000 financial services and healthcare organizations, from the world's largest companies to small and mid-market firms, rely on SS&C for expertise, scale and technology. If you have a desire to work for one of the fastest growing global companies where you are encouraged to innovate and make a difference, we have amazing career opportunities for you!

Shamrock Trading Company

Shamrock Trading Corporation is the parent company for a family of brands that began in 1986 as a freight brokerage serving agricultural and commodity shippers. Over the past three decades, they have expanded to serve our customer’s growing needs. They now provide services and solutions to trucking companies across the nation and globally that include transportation logistics, financial services, diesel discount programs, and computer software.

Jack Henry

Jack Henry (NASDAQ: JKHY) is a well-rounded financial technology company that strengthens connections between financial institutions and the people and businesses they serve. An S&P 500 company, Jack Henry prioritizes openness, collaboration, and user centricity – offering banks and credit unions a vibrant ecosystem of internally developed modern capabilities as well as the ability to integrate with leading fintechs. For more than 45 years, Jack Henry has provided technology solutions to enable clients to innovate faster, strategically differentiate, and successfully compete while serving the evolving needs of their accountholders.

FNBO

First National Bank of Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. First National of Nebraska and its affiliates have more than $25 billion in assets and nearly 5,000 employee associates. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas

CivicPlus

CivicPlus® delivers technology solutions that enable local governments to optimize the experience they deliver when interacting with residents. Over 7,500 local governments use our solutions when serving their 340 million residents. We deliver the industry’s first and only Civic Experience Platform. It enables local governments to drive more revenue, operate more efficiently, and generate positive recognition for the many services they provide every day.

NAIC

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) provides expertise, data, and analysis for insurance commissioners to effectively regulate the industry and protect consumers. The U.S. standard-setting organization is governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories.

Veeva

Veeva is the global leader in cloud software for the life sciences industry. Committed to innovation, product excellence, and customer success, Veeva serves more than 1,000 customers, ranging from the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotechs.

As a Public Benefit Corporation, Veeva is committed to balancing the interests of all stakeholders, including customers, employees, shareholders, and the industries it serves

Tyler Technologies

Tyler Technologies (NYSE: TYL) provides integrated software and technology services to the public sector. Tyler's end-to-end solutions empower local, state, and federal government entities to operate more efficiently and connect more transparently with their constituents and with each other. Tyler has more than 37,000 successful installations across more than 12,000 locations, with clients in all 50 states, Canada, the Caribbean, Australia, and other international locations. Tyler has been recognized numerous times for growth and innovation, including Government Technology's GovTech 100 list and Forbes' "Most Innovative Growth Companies" list.

GEHA

GEHA (Government Employees Health Association, Inc., pronounced G.E.H.A.), founded in 1937, is a non-profit member association and the largest dental and second largest medical benefit provider of federal employees exclusively serving 2 million current employees and retirees, military retirees, and their families.

GEHA’s mission, to empower members to be healthy and well, is demonstrated through its focus on innovation as well as providing members access to one of the largest medical provider networks nationwide. Headquartered in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, GEHA is one of the largest employers in the Kansas City metro area.

SunLife

Sunlife is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2022, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.35 trillion.

Cboe

Cboe Global Markets (Cboe: CBOE), a leading provider of market infrastructure and tradable products, delivers cutting-edge trading, clearing and investment solutions to market participants around the world.

The company is committed to operating a trusted, inclusive global marketplace, providing leading products, technology and data solutions that enable participants to define a sustainable financial future. Cboe provides trading solutions and products in multiple asset classes, including equities, derivatives and FX, across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific

Ad Astra

Ad Astra is higher education’s solution partner in managing the academic enterprise. Partnering with more than 500 colleges, universities, and systems nationwide, Ad Astra helps improve stewardship of instructional resources, streamline student access to courses, and accelerate student completions

Kiewit

Kiewit is one of North America’s largest and most respected construction and engineering organizations. With its roots dating back to 1884, the employee-owned company operates through a network of offices and projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Kiewit offers construction and engineering services in a variety of markets including transportation, water/wastewater, power, oil, gas and chemical, building and mining. Kiewit had 2020 revenues of $12.5 billion and employs more than 27,000 staff and craft employees.

Security Benefit

Security Benefit , through its subsidiary Security Benefit Life Insurance Company (SBL), a Kansas-based insurance company that has been in business for 130 years, is a leader in the U.S. retirement market. Security Benefit together with its affiliates offers products in a full range of retirement markets and wealth segments for employers and individuals and held $46.9 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2021. Security Benefit, an Eldridge business, continues its mission of helping Americans To and Through Retirement®.

TriCom Technical Services

TriCom Technical Services , is a best-in-class IT staffing firm that connects top technical professionals with high-performing companies. Using a comprehensive, high-touch approach, the TriCom team provides measurable results that outperform competitors locally and nationally. TriCom has been named to Great Recruiters’ list of Top Rated staffing firms numerous times, a reflection of the company’s dedication to clients and candidates alike.

VMLYR

VMLY&R is a global marketing agency with more than 7,000 employees worldwide with principal offices in Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. VMLY&R works with client partners including Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Dell, Ford, Office Depot, PepsiCo, Pfizer and Wendy’s.

TouchNet

TouchNet, a Global Payments (NYSE: GPN) company, unifies campuswide payments and ID management software solutions for institutions of higher education around the world. Colleges and universities rely on TouchNet to integrate and secure payments, permissions, and other related business transactions for a comprehensive, actionable view campuswide. TouchNet’s unmatched integration, transparency, and security gives institutions greater control over transactions, costs, and compliance. As the market leader in higher education commerce technology, our platform-driven approach enables greater operational efficiencies and self-service access to real-time information for students and staff.

FireMon

FireMon has been at the forefront of the security management category, delivering first-ever functionality such as firewall behavior testing, workflow integration, traffic flow analysis and rule recertification. FireMon delivers industry-leading security policy management, cloud security operations, and cyber security asset management solutions to over 1,700 enterprises in nearly 70 countries.

Mariner Wealth Advisors

Founded in 2006 with $300 million in assets under advisement, Mariner Wealth Advisors has grown to more than $100 billion in assets under advisement.

If you are looking to build your career with a firm that puts the client first by providing 360° advice designed to last, then Mariner Wealth Advisors is the right place for you. They actively nurture the next generation of professionals, give back to the community and focus on building a diverse culture where everyone genuinely loves where they work and has the support needed to meet their career goals.

Pinata

Pinata is the first multimedia hub for NFT creators, builders, and artists in the decentralized world of web 3. Pinata's vision to foster a sense of place for every creator on the internet that is uniquely theirs has been the company's goal since 2018. Building the largest pinning service on IPFS, Pinata gives users the ability to upload, manage, and share their content whenever, wherever and, with whomever they want.

Integral

Integral is a software consulting firm that focuses on building great teams that build great products.

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IP Pathways

Started in 2007, IP Pathways has connected businesses with the right technology tools and strategies to solve complex business problems. Our team of experts understand the challenges of today’s IT landscape and specialize in providing tailored technology solutions that enable business speed and agility while helping our customers identify growth opportunities and drive digital transformation.  

Arista Networks

Arista Networks is an industry leader in data-driven, client to cloud networking for large data center, campus and routing environments. Arista’s award-winning platforms deliver availability, agility, automation, analytics and security through an advanced network operating stack.

Okta

Okta is the World’s Identity Company. As the leading independent Identity partner, we free everyone to safely use any technology—anywhere, on any device or app. The most trusted brands trust Okta to enable secure access, authentication, and automation. With flexibility and neutrality at the core of our Okta Workforce Identity and Customer Identity Clouds, business leaders and developers can focus on innovation and accelerate digital transformation, thanks to customizable solutions and more than 7,000 pre-built integrations. We’re building a world where Identity belongs to you.

LaunchDarkly

LaunchDarkly Modern software delivery is the foundation for a thriving digital business, but too often, slow, inefficient development cycles, costly outages, and fragmented customer experiences are preventing developers from building their best software. With LaunchDarkly now developers can build and release their best software. The LaunchDarkly platform helps developers innovate on new features faster while protecting them with a safety valve to instantly rewind when things go wrong. See why developers at the most innovative companies, including 25 percent of the Fortune 500, build their best software with LaunchDarkly.

SnapLogic

SnapLogic powers the automated enterprise. The company’s self-service, AI-powered integration platform helps organizations connect applications and data sources, automate common workflows and business processes, and deliver exceptional experiences for customers, partners, and employees. Thousands of enterprises around the world rely on the SnapLogic platform to integrate, automate, and transform their business.

About Hack Midwest

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Are you a developer that loves building things?

What if you had the opportunity to show your skills?

There's $22500 up for grabs at this year's Hack Midwest

Join us along w/ 300+ passionate software developers to build amazing things in 24 hours & win thousands in prizes and cash!

Hack Midwest is a great opportunity to:

get inspired by building new things
get community recognition
win awesome prizes and cash
make new friends!

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