Meet the half-dozen, seasoned KC founders joining Pipeline’s latest fellowship class
January 24, 2020 | Startland News Staff
Nearly half of the new class of Pipeline fellows hail from Kansas City startups, revealed the high-profile entrepreneur network Thursday at the Pipeline Innovators Daytime Showcase.
Among those Kansas City founders taking the stage during the announcement:
- Dominique Davison, PlanIT Impact;
- Kyle Ginavan, OneHQ;
- Bo Lais, Lula;
- Luke Lim, Tile Five LCC;
- A.J. Mellott, Ronawk LLC; and
- Sunti Wathanacharoen, Pulmonaer Analytics.
Pipeline — which serves as a regional network across the Midwest — also drew heavily from Nebraska, as well as picking up entrepreneurs from outside Kansas City in Missouri and Kansas. Among those founders:
- Brent Comstock, BCom Solutions, Lincoln;
- Walker Deibel, The Acquisition Lab, St. Louis;
- Jennifer McDonald, Jenny Dawn Cellars, Wichita;
- Brooke Mullen, Sapahn, Lincoln;
- Hunter Radenslaben, Athlete Nation, Omaha;
- Jeff Smith, Fanbox Subscription Services Inc, Lincoln; and
- Travis Stephens, Direct Pivot Parts, Lincoln.
2020 Pipeline fellows
Thursday’s event additionally showcased competition between 2019 Pipeline fellows who pitched throughout a daytime contest to earn the titles of best pitch and Innovator of the year.
Graduating fellow Bek Abdullayev of Kansas City’s Super Dispatch was awarded best pitch by a panel of national judges that included Allison Weil, Hyde Park Ventures, Chicago; Eric Drummond, Innovation Corridor, Denver; and Jeff Jones, H&R Block.
Innovator of the Year is set to be announced at Pipeline’s annual gala in April in Kansas City.
Other 2019 Kansas City graduating fellows up for the top award include:
- Anis Dayya, PiREARcings;
- Jeff Dunn, Redivus Health;
- Liderman Duin, Bluepoint2;
- Michael Fry, Astra Brands;
- Donald Hawkins, CitySmart;
- Heather Spalding, Cambrian; and
- Tammie Wahaus, ELIAS Animal Health.
“After spending this action-packed day with Pipeline entrepreneurs, mentors, supporters and families, I am convinced that Pipeline is the most compelling entrepreneurial organization in the country, and I am humbled to be chosen to be its next leader,” said Melissa Vincent, Pipeline’s new executive director. “I am so excited to get to work with these new 2020 Fellows, as well as everyone who is ready and willing to lend their support to all of the Pipeline Family. Let’s do this!”
Click here to learn more about Vincent’s background before arriving Kansas City to lead Pipeline.
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
PBS docuseries puts KC creator at the intersection food and ‘transformational travel’
Food travel is about more than getting the most exotic or expensive social media-worthy photo of a meal to share for superficial clout, said Jim Kane, emphasizing the transformation power of connection when someone truly allows themselves to use food as a lens for understanding culture. “Before the pandemic, there were a lot of checklists…
A misstep ended their ‘Squid Game’ run together; the business of their friendship keeps moving
While not everything on reality TV is 100 percent … well, real, the bond between “Squid Game: The Challenge” competitors Stephen Lomas and Chase Higgins is anything but scripted, the Kansas City duo said. Longtime friends and business partners — the two previously co-founded Let’s Get Moving, a social media savvy moving company that gained…
How Kauffman Scholars’ 20-year run reflected the value of representation for Black, Brown students
Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News. The legacy of Kauffman Scholars — an initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation that sunset earlier in 2023 after 20 years — can be seen in the decades of students impacted and the passion fueling the effort from within, according to a…
This hands-on video production workshop at DeLaSalle will put careers in focus
A new partnership between a Kansas City video production company and a charter school serving teens along the Troost corridor is expected to give DeLaSalle High School students a stronger entry point into an emerging industry, said Jasmine Nastasi. “It’s a way to help with recruiting, to streamline the process, and to have an official…