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The local Think Big Accelerator is now mentoring its first class of six startups, zapping them with a shot of funding. The city just kicked off Launch KC, a private-public initiative to offer mentorship, office space, and resources to startups. And Google Fiber is starting to roll out its warp-speed fiber-optic broadband network in the city, which was selected from over a thousand applicant cities last year. RĀZ Mobile raised small angel funding from local investors....

I asked leading women in technology at CES to share what products and trends stood out and how those technologies could shape their personal and professional life in 2014. Here is what they had to say. LaLa Castro, Co Founder, #LatinaGeeks While the sleek, curved UHD TV’s may have caught many people’s attention at CES this year, it was Sony’s SmartWatch 2, that made me consider jumping on the whole wearable phenomenon....

LastPass is claiming that the decision was necessary as it “need[s] to adapt our offerings to keep up with the constantly evolving digital world.” We’ve long informed readers that password managers really are worth paying for, and this latest move by LastPass makes it even more so. Here’s everything you need to know about the changes to LastPass’ free plan. LastPass Free: What’s Changing? From March 16th, LastPass free users will get unlimited access on devices of one type — at the moment, LastPass free user offers access across both computers and mobile devices....

On October 25, 2013 we hosted the first annual Tech Cocktail Celebrate at MEET LV in Downtown Vegas. As the days tick by, we’re fast approaching the second annual Tech Cocktail Celebrate due to kick off on October 6, 2014, and to honor the Downtown Vegas Community we wanted to take a look back at some of the momentous changes that have occurred since we last gathered. Like the shifting sands of the desert itself, Downtown Vegas has seen its fair share of change....

In the spirit of Tech Cocktail, however, we wanted your take. We ran a poll for each category (Education, Energy, Health, and Smart Cities), to see who you thought was the hottest of the group. The readers have spoken. Below are your Reader’s Choice winners. The Challenge Cup San Francisco’s Hottest Showcasing Startups Education TRAIL – TRAIL is an online, education company dedicated to bringing people their first experience with the Internet....

As usual, the world of tech is trying to follow the wishes of users and produce ways of satisfying those wishes. Recently, a new app launched promising to connect users that were previously unconnected, helping to discover and build a local community anywhere at any time – let’s meet Spray. Announced as the world’s first app that lets you message everyone nearby without knowing their names, emails, phone numbers or social media accounts, Spray is a free messaging app available for Android and iOS....

Edge Secure Network is set to roll out within a security upgrade, giving Edge users the ability to encrypt their traffic so that their data can’t be harvested, and they can see region-locked websites. It’s not one hundred percent private, however: VPN use will still be connected to the Microsoft account that users have tied to their browser. Plus, the VPN feature can only be used for a limit of up to 1GB of traffic per month....

The service will remove the need for users to have their own, dedicated PC, and will be accessible through a variety of devices, such as tablets, phones, and yes, other computers. Essentially, anything that can run a modern web browser. The service is due to launch next month, with details, such as pricing, to follow. What Windows 365 Will Offer Microsoft revealed Windows 365 on its blog today, calling it a ‘new era of hybrid computing....

And luckily for the brand, now is a great time to expose consumers to new ideas and products. The brand has unveiled Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 customers. The company hopes that the web browser can challenge popular web browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox, though it’s been slow-running, according to web browser share reports. However, Microsoft could have a gem on their hands after tests show that the Edge browser has a significant effect on battery life....

After previously raising $750,000 from the VegasTechFund, Kima Ventures, Ludlow Ventures, and Prolific VC, LaunchKey announces that this venture round was led by Metamorphic Ventures with participation from ENIAC Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Pantera Capital, Rimrock Venture Partners, VegasTechFund, and others. LaunchKey has raised $4 million to date, and will use the new funding to expand its team and bring LaunchKey to market in 2015. The founding team at LaunchKey, which includes CEO Sanders, Chief Technology Officer Devin Egan and Director of Engineering Yo Sub Kwon were featured alongside founders of notable companies like GitHub, Leap Motion, and Asana in Inc....

Let’s check out what Blutenthal had to say when we asked him to tell us more about his startup and the entire startup process. You’re starting up in Boston. What’s the biggest advantage – and disadvantage – to your town? Why should we be using Moodsnap? What would you be doing if you weren’t building this company? What’s been the most encouraging feedback that you have received about the product?...

With initial plans to ship a final product in summer 2014, Coin announced in August of last year that the full product release would have to be postponed until spring of 2015. And it seems that the company has finally lived up to that as the Y Combinator-backed company will begin shipping today. If you don’t know (or don’t remember) what Coin is, it’s essentially a kind of smart credit utilizing both hardware and software to allow you to sync your debit, credit, gift, and loyalty cards all onto one card....

You can trust the source on that datapoint, too: It’s straight from a Google executive himself, and based on Google’s internal data. It’s a sign that the internet search giant’s long-lasting reign over internet ad revenue may be faltering, and that’s something businesses may want to factor into their marketing budget. How Gen Z Uses the Internet Older millennials likely think of the internet as a huge collection of websites, with search engines like Google acting as the central hub that allows them to find the one they need....

At venues all around downtown Seattle, attendees were treated to riveting talks, engaging panels, and plenty of entrepreneurial advice from notable minds like Glenn Kelman of Redfin, Walter Acuña of Craft3, and Ruvim Achapovskiy of Social Bomb. If you weren’t able to attend or didn’t get to watch the interviews live, you’re in luck! Throughout the week, I gathered tips and advice from entrepreneurs and experts that are passionate about helping underserved businesses succeed....

The potential exploit, the NSA stated, could be used to bypass a computer’s security, and place malicious programs on the machine, which in turn could then be used for spying or ransomware purposes. In a statement, Microsoft claimed that it was aware of the issue, and had provided a patch to nullify the problem. We take a look at what the bug could mean, and how to ensure you’re protected against it....

Opposed to quiet quitting and quiet firing, which describe lackluster responses to dissatisfaction in the workplace, overemployment refers to working two full-time jobs for double the paychecks, often at the same time. Overemployment, or ‘OE’ to those in the community, can open up lucrative opportunities to those who know how to play the game well. But is doubling your workload the answer to a rapidly volatile job climate, or is it a legally dubious practice that puts employers on the back foot?...

It could be considered a sign of the times, but edtech startup Panorama has recently doubled in size in terms of people, and now in office space. The Boston, MA-based education data analytics company just announced a pretty big expansion. Customer demand was so big in 2015 that they had to hire aggressively to keep up with it and have grown to 50 people. The company helps K-12 schools collect feedback in the form of surveys from teachers, parents, and students, and then analyzes the data to help improve the learning environment....

Top Pledge 1% companies have already been responsible for over $500 million in new philanthropy, and that’s just from the biggest companies. Here’s a look at the measurable impact of several Pledge 1% companies, as well as an examination of why the philosophy behind the phenomenon is more important than ever. How It Helps Pledge 1%, an effort spearheaded by Atlassian, Rally, Salesforce and Tides, aims to convince individuals and companies alike to pledge one percent of their equity, product and employee time towards helping their communities....

Once you’ve taken your blinders off and widened your focus to include an outside perspective, you’re ready to approach the fundraising process with some finesse. These steps are crucial in converting raw faith into a useful strategy. 1: Do Your Research An ego-driven founder might sit and wait for investors to swarm like bees to honey, but a smart founder knows better. You have to be informed and make smart choices about who you approach, and that means doing a ton of research to find compatible parties....

Startups like Zillow (IPO), Redfin, and Trulia (acquired by Zillow) were early winners in the space. Two real estate tech startups, Opendoor and Compass, are now considered “unicorns,” and others are not far behind. Just this week, housing investment platform Roofstock raised $35M in Series C funding from Canvas Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Nyca Partners, QED Investors, and FJ Labs. In September, real estate finance startup RealtyShares raised a $28M Series C round from Cross Creek Advisors, Union Square Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, and Menlo Ventures....