"With such rapid gains in new technologies, it's vital for Topeka and the other communities Evergy serves to have innovative resources that create opportunities for businesses to evolve with those changes," said Jeff Martin, Evergy's Vice President of Customer and Community Operations. "Evergy's partnership with Plug and Play is a great way to combine our strengths for the community's benefit. Whether at home, at work or in agriculture, how we use energy is changing and we look forward to helping startups take advantage of those resources and grow their ideas."
Evergy will be a great asset to have as Plug and Play's focus in Topeka will support innovation as the world shifts toward sustainable food production and consumption. Evergy already is a leader in clean energy, with more than 50 percent of the energy it provides coming from carbon-free sources.
"Plug and Play is proud to announce our partnership with Evergy. Their expertise and knowledge in the energy solutions sector will be a great asset to our startups and bring value to Topeka as a whole," said Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO of Plug and Play.
Topeka is Plug and Play's newest location and founding partners will take part in selecting eight to ten startups to join their accelerator program twice a year. These startups will participate in a three month program where they will have access to Plug and Play's vast network of alumni, investors, and partners. Plug and Play is located in more than 30 locations around the world. Each program focuses on a specific industry and is designed to utilize regional strengths and resources.
"With launching this Plug and Play program in Topeka," said Katrin Bridges, Vice President of Innovation for Greater Topeka Partnership, "we are, overnight, part of a global network of innovation."
For more information about Plug and Play Topeka, please reach out to our industry experts: https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/join/
About Plug and Play
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 400 official corporate partners, Plug and Play has created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/
About Evergy
Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG), provides clean, safe and reliable energy to 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. The 2018 combination of KCP&L and Westar Energy to form Evergy created a leading energy company that provides value to shareholders and a stronger company for customers.
Evergy's mission is to empower a better future. Today, half the power supplied to homes and businesses by Evergy comes from emission-free sources, creating more reliable energy with less impact to the environment. We will continue to innovate and adopt new technologies that give our customers better ways to manage their energy use.
For more information about Evergy, Inc., visit us at www.evergy.com.
