Introducing 2017’s Top 10 Under-the-Radar startups in Kansas City
August 29, 2017 | Startland News Staff
Whether they’re intentionally lying low or just working too hard to stop and share their stories, Kansas City is full of inconspicuous innovators.
Consider this list of 10 firms as a spotlight into the shadows of promising, but little-known Kansas City startups.
As we stated in last year’s list, “under the radar” is a relative term — we had to hear of these startups somehow. Even though we might have already written about some of these companies, many still operate in relative obscurity within the broader Kansas City business community.
This list hopes to shed light on promising firms that either you have never heard of or might have an interest in learning more about. Let us know what you think or if you have recommendations for other “under-the-radar” startups.
Without further ado, here are 2017’s Under the Radar startups in no particular order.
Happy Food Co.
Founding Year: 2015
Founders: Kiersten Firquain and Jeff Glasco
Elevator pitch: Happy Food Co makes it easy to enjoy great local food at home, preparing fresh meal kits with everything you need to whip up a restaurant-quality meal in no time flat. FOR MORE ON HAPPY FOOD CO., CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
Kiersten Firquain and Jeff Glasco
ZOHR
Founding Year: 2015
Founders: Komal Choong and Anoop Choong
Elevator Pitch: Zohr offers a simpler way to get your tires changed by delivering and installing them at your home or office.
FOR MORE ON ZOHR, CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
ZOHR co-founders Komal Choong and Anoop Choong
MusicSpoke
Founding Year: 2014
Founders: Jennifer Rosenblatt and Kurt Knecht
Elevator Pitch: MusicSpoke is online sheet music marketplace for self-published composers.
FOR MORE ON MUSICSPOKE CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
Kurt Knecht and Jennifer Rosenblatt
Venture360
Founding year: 2013
Founders: Rachael Qualls and James Pierce
Elevator Pitch: Venture360 powers the venture capital industry from application to exit.
FOR MORE ON VENTURE360, CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
James Pierce and Rachael Qualls
OneHQ
Founding Year: 2012
Founder: Kyle J. Ginavan
Elevator Pitch: OneHQ solves complex operations, sales, marketing and accounting problems for insurance agencies, insurance brokerages, insurance carriers, broker dealers and registered investment advisors.
FOR MORE ON ONEHQ, CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
The OneHQ team
TradeLanes
Founding Year: 2015
Founders: Vijay Harrell, Delvin Higginson, Brandon Jimenez, Corey Myers and Jack Shelton
Elevator Pitch: TradeLanes is a software-as-a-service that enables shippers, merchants and traders to better control their supply chain. FOR MORE ON TRADELANES CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
Vijay Harrel and Delvin Higginson
Dunami
Founding Year: 2012
Founders: Pat Butler, Tony Marshall and Mark Schwalm
Elevator Pitch: Dunami helps clients find relevant audiences and identify those with the most influence.
FOR MORE ON DUNAMI, CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
Pat Butler, Tony Marshall, Steve Davis and Mark Schwalm
Sprout Solutions
Founding Year: 2016
Founders: Gretchen Henry and Jim Taylor
Elevator Pitch: Sprout Solutions provides software services for professionals in the animal feed industry, including both mill operators and merchandisers. FOR MORE ON SPROUT SOLUTIONS CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
Jim Taylor and Gretchen Henry
RiskGenius
Founding Year: 2012
Founders: Chris Cheatham and Doug Reiser
Elevator Pitch: RiskGenius organizes the world’s insurance information. Our machine learning algorithms structure insurance policy information and serve it up to carriers, brokers and regulators in our RiskGenius platform.
FOR MORE ON RISK GENIUS, CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
The RiskGenius team
OYO Fitness
Founding Year: 2014
Founders: Paul Francis
Elevator Pitch: Fitness where you are right now. OYO provides On Your Own fitness.
FOR MORE ON OYO FITNESS CHECK OUT THIS PROFILE …
Paul Francis
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Why coastal investors ignore the Midwest and what’s next for federal startup policy
Here are this week’s watercooler conversation-starters on why inland states struggle to find funding, coming issues in federal entrepreneurship policy and the success of innovation districts that are cropping up around the U.S. (and in Kansas City). More in this series here. International Business Times: Finding venture capital far from the coasts Of the $48.3…
Ebb and flow: The Kansas City Startup Village by the numbers
Startland News created an infographic on the growth and shrinkage of the Kansas City Startup Village since its 2012 founding. Here’s a colorful interpretation of its ebb and flow, as presented by Startland’s Kat Hungerford. Read more about the KCSV’s history, successes and possible future here.
Shawnee passes tax measure to attract startups
A tax incentive program that aims to attract high-growth startups to the City of Shawnee unanimously passed a city vote, paving the way for firms to tap a variety of benefits to alleviate initial costs. The city council voted 8-0 on the “Startup Workforce Relocation and Expansion Program,” which aims to encourage job growth and…
Animal health firms can now apply for key Kansas City investor forum
The Kansas City Animal Health Corridor is now accepting applications for its eighth-annual investor forum that brings together the top decision makers in the animal health industry. The forum — set for Aug. 30 — will welcome dozens of venture capital organizations from around the world and offer animal health companies the chance to score…