This week, our President Michael Kowski Interviewed Sheila Due, the president of the McKinney Education Foundation. Sheila masterfully unpacks how the MEF works, how many students they've helped, how it all started, and how the everyday McKinney residents can get involved and make a difference. Plus, we learn about a new hot spot for chicken fingers in McKinney!  Learn more about the MEF: https://www.mckinneyef.org/ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@McKinneyEDC   For audio episodes of McKinney Momentum, subscribe on your favorite podcast network: https://mckinneymoment ..read more

Today’s episode is a fun one! Two companies who met through their connection to the Innovation Fund have partnered together, and Mike Wilkes sits down with the founders to chat all things sports tech, fan engagement, the World Cup 2026, and more.  Meet Andrew Naugher of Rikodi, and Denny Darmo of Snipitz on today’s episode of McKinney Momentum and hear about their partnership Readabout Rikodi: https://uniquemckinney.com/mckinney-economic-development-corporation-rikodi/ Read about Snipitz: https://uniquemckinney.com/snipitz-market-expands-corporate-hq-in-mckinney/       S ..read more

We’ve had 2 major announcements recently with global tech platform Plug N Play, and today we pull back the curtain a bit to unpack a little more of how this works with connecting startups to corporate partners. This week on McKinney Momentum, MEDC’s Michael Talley sits down with Plug and Play partner Kevin Parakkattu and discusses how the partnership came to be, how it builds on our existing Innovation Fund, what the collaboration with Frisco looked like, and what the full launch will look like by mid-March.  Read our McKinney Plug and Play press release and FAQ: https://uniquemckinney ..read more

Join MEDC marketing manager Luke Gajary today as he jumps out from behind the camera to interview startup founder Adam McAbee of StadiumDrop - an Innovation Fund portfolio company. Adam shares the story of how he and his wife started the company, how COVID19 affected their launch, and some unique achievements they've made along the way. StadiumDrop is a game changing mobile ordering and delivery app, that allows you to stay in the moment.  Order food, beverage and merchandise from your phone and let them bring it to you.  Follow Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-mcabee-3a77 ..read more

Join our own Mike Wilkes in our MEDC studio today as he interviews Jake Hamann and talk about his company, Autix, his entrepreneurship start, the vision for his company, rethinking how we price, sell,  and build cars, and of course, the impact of the Innovation Fund.  A seasoned economic, ecosystem, and entrepreneurial development thought leader, Jake has not only built and grown his own successful ventures, but has helped countless others do the same by sharing his journey of successes and struggles along the way. Whether a large corporation, early-stage entrepreneur, or community ..read more

Today in the McKinney Momentum studio, we sit down with Lauren Smith and Kierstin Marchal from HUGS Cafe right here in McKinney. Lauren shares the story of HUGS, and the four main initiatives they are focused on - including some very unique inclusive employment curriculum opportunities. Kierstin shares the culture of HUGS, and how the opportunities provided her has changed her career for the better as an adult with disabilities in the workforce - including landing her DREAM JOB at Disney!  October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and we couldn't think of a bette ..read more

Join our SVP Michael Talley in our MEDC studio today as he interviews Denny Darmo and talk about his company, Snipitz, his entrepreneurship start, the vision for his company, rethinking how we consume media, and of course, the impact of the Innovation Fund.  Snipitz Founder, Visionary and CEO, Denny Darmo’s professional career began on Wall Street in 1994, soon transitioning into investment banking structuring early stage finance deals for technology companies including investments via SPVs in Facebook, Twitter, etc. Denny is revolutionizing global fan's content consumption experience w ..read more

Join our SVP Michael Talley in our MEDC studio today as he interviews Ranjith Raghunath and talk about his company, CX Data Labs, tech background, customer data and privacy, and of course the impact of the Innovation Fund.  Ranjith Raghunath is a customer experience (CX) wizard, coming from companies like Amazon, Samsung, and GSK before eventually starting his own company right here in McKinney Connect with Ranjith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAACxtsgBh0wFJF3PechD5SHsnVShFH6KC3M?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_detail_base%3Bfsr8XPshRgazxBbmkWU%2BbQ%3D%3D CX Data Labs: https://www ..read more

Join our SVP Michael Talley, and project manager Mike Wilkes, in our MEDC studio today as they interview Greg Head and talk all things startup culture, VC funding, bootstrapping a company, and learning how to better foster the tech ecosystem as a whole in DFW.  Greg Head is a 30-year software industry veteran who was part of the startup-to-scale journeys of three different software companies in the CRM industry, including one IPO. He is now an active mentor, advisor, podcaster, and investor helping founders of software startups all over the world. He is the founder of Gregslist.com, his ..read more

Today on McKinney Momentum, our Business Retention Expansion and Workforce Director Madison Clark interviews Rey Colon from Lyric Health, a local tele-health company based here in McKinney. Rey shares his company journey, how he ended up in McKinney, and some major wins they are experiencing in the space.  Learn more about Lyric Health:  https://getlyric.com/ Follow Rey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamreycolon/ McKinney Momentum is a multi-channel video and audio podcast produced by the McKinney EDC featuring local community leaders, entrepreneurs, economic developers ..read more