Topeka Plug And Play: The Catalyst
Photos by John Burns
John Keddy, chief technology officer and chief information security officer for Security Benefit, first became familiar with Plug and Play four years ago when his employer became a partner in its insurance tech vertical. Security Benefit participates in pitches on data analytics, cybersecurity and consumer engagement initiatives while building relationships within the global tech community.
Keddy, who serves on the GO Topeka Innovation Advisory Board, participated in the hiring process for Katrin Bridges, senior vice president of innovation, and suggested she accompany him to Plug and Play’s Sunnyvale, California, headquarters to show her “how people who are the best in the world at financing and supporting startups do what they do.”
In April 2019, Keddy and Bridges, accompanied by Dan Foltz, KBS Constructors and an Innovation Advisory Board member, and Lindsay Lebahn, executive director of Forge, visited the facility. Lebahn has since been named Plug and Play’s program manager in Topeka.
“Visiting Plug and Play is a fascinating experience,” said Keddy. “It’s a hive of activity with some of the smartest, most creative people going full speed to change the world by launching the next billion dollar business. Investors and startups are located all over the globe with industries that range from a retail tech track in Paris to an automotive tech track in Germany and other accelerator programs in Tokyo and New York City and beyond. While we were still on campus, Katrin was already determined to get Topeka involved.”
Bridges accompanied Keddy to a meeting of insurance tech entrepreneurs and the discussion veered into ag
tech possibilities for Topeka, given its location along the Animal Health Corridor and proximity to the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan. Keddy said subsequent conversations coincided with Plug and Play Founder and CEO Saeed Amidi’s interest in creating a safer food supply and alternative sources of protein for people and pets.
When the pandemic prompted cancellation of Amidi’s March 2020 trip to Asia, his colleagues persuaded him to join them for an ag tech summit hosted by Security Benefit in Topeka instead.
“We had 150 attendees representing startups, school districts, universities, and corporations, all of them passionate about making Topeka another Plug and Play outpost,” said Keddy. “Amidi sat on the front row the whole time. I felt like his eyes bored into me whenever I spoke. Speaker after speaker, he never looked at his phone once. When I walked out with him, he shook my hand three times and told me he was really impressed and thought we could do something.”
Keddy said he believes Topeka is well-positioned to reap economic development advantages from its Plug and Play partnership because of its location in the middle of the country and in the heart of the Animal Health Corridor.
“We have an affordable cost of living and no traffic, which means entrepreneurs can spend more time building their business,” he said. “Flights to either coast are affordable and manageable, and if you’re looking for amazing talent, you can get it from University of Kansas and Kansas State University engineering students willing to work for $15-an-hour internships for the opportunity to learn and be part of something special. All of these factors absolutely play in our favor.”
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