BY DUSTIN BUTLER, COLBY FARR & SHELBIE HAMILTON
The impact
Looking ahead
The Innovation Fund grant program has contributed to creating a growing reputation for the city in the startup community, Kowski said. McKinney’s startup ecosystem has also begun to “develop a personality,” he said. “Google started in a garage, Amazon started in a garage,” MEDC Marketing Manager Luke Gajary said. “The next unicorn that starts in a garage, … why can’t the garage be in McKinney?”
McKinney-based startup and Innovation Fund participant Book.io offers its customers a place to buy and sell e-books, audiobooks and other digital media, CEO Joshua Stone said. The company used the grant funding to relocate from a coworking space to its office in downtown McKinney. “There are a shockingly large number of startups,” he said of the city. “I continue to be impressed with the number of startups.”
Plug and Play officials are projecting between 10-15 participating startups during the fall FinTech program session, Thompson said. Kowski said the MEDC is also looking to support future growth by contributing to the creation of additional office space, noting that adding office space in downtown McKinney would be “valuable.” Jenn Denham, vice president of growth at Review Wave, which offices in the Common Desk building downtown, said the MEDC has worked to support the city’s startup ecosystem by facilitating networking and connections. “It’s just amazing to see that McKinney can still have that small, hometown feel … but also be able to be connected with the amazing tech innovation,” Denham said.
Innovation Fund grant types
Growth: A grant of $50,000 to support early-stage technology startups
Expansion: A grant of up to $500,000 for startups seeing rapid growth
Relocation: Up to $500,000 for startups that relocate to McKinney
Innovation Fund awards by industry since 2020
24.2%
24.2%
18.2%
15.2% 9.1% 9.1%
Enterprise, data and artificial intelligence
Software as a service
MedTech
Other
FinTech
SportsTech
SOURCE: MCKINNEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT
STATE OF THE ART OFFICE SPACE DESIGNED FOR YOUR NEEDS
1720 Bray Central Dr. workspacesmck.com (469) 467-9231
SCAN FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR!
19
MCKINNEY EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook