InnovaPrep CEO honored as an ‘inspiration’ among Pipeline fellows
November 16, 2020 | Austin Barnes
COVID-19 couldn’t stop the steady flow of innovation through the Pipeline Entrepreneurs Fellowship.
The organization crowned a series of winners through its (virtual) Innovator Awards on Thursday — a testament to its commitment to entrepreneurs weathering unprecedented times, said David Alburty.
“Pipeline has been absolutely mission-critical in my evolution as a scaling CEO,” Alburty, CEO of InnovaPrep, said in response to his participation in the program’s 2019 fellowship and newfound winner of Pipeline’s member inspiration award. The honor recognized his commitment to fostering success in other fellows.
“Pipeline helped me learn how to make Innovaprep scale. It has been an honor and a blessing to be part of the Pipeline Entrepreneurs family and I plan to continue for life, helping members and new fellows in any way I can,” he said.
Additional prizes saw Michael Fry, co-founder and CEO of Brown Button Estates crowned innovator of the year; Leandro Castro, co-founder and CEO of Omaha-based MultiMechanics, honored with the member growth award; and Mike Bosch, founder and CEO of Baldwin City-based RG Fiber recognized with the member resilience award.
Alburty credits the program with teaching him valuable revenue-building skills, which, when anchored with his background in STEM, have turned InnovaPrep into a powerhouse on the prairie.
The startup made key pivots amid the pandemic which has seen it use its technology to search sewers for SARS in a bid to help end the spread of COVID-19.
Click here to read more about InnovaPrep’s pandemic-experience.
Featured Business

2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Makefully Studios earns $1M grant for problem-solving game co-designed by kids
A Kansas City media company’s commitment to play-based research and development recently helped score Makefully Studios a $1 million government grant for a children’s problem-solving game. “There’s no other word but proud and grateful,” said Anna Jordan-Douglass, founder and chief creative officer of Makefully Studios, which recently was awarded the funds from the National Science Foundation’s…
A dough master brought Chinese hand-pulled noodles (拉面) to South JoCo; a robotic cat delivers them to your table
Hand-pulled noodles were a staple in Elvin Liu’s childhood, he shared, joking that the traditional noodles could be found on any street corner in China — just like Starbucks in the United States. “I moved to Kansas around the end of the year of 2010. I saw a lot of noodle soups, like pho and…
Filling a capital void: AltCap builds capacity, momentum after its busiest year to date
Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Academy Bank, a Kansas City based community bank, and is part of a series of features spotlighting some of the bank’s startup and small business partners. The past 18 months have been a critical turning point for AltCap, said Ruben Alonso, as the nonprofit has grown to…
MO tech jobs pay double the state’s average wage, fueling economic growth, new report says
Missouri’s tech industry remains a driving economic force despite widespread job loss and economic turmoil caused by COVID-19, according to a new report that details how the Show Me State is outpacing national tech growth. Among the report’s key takeaways: Average earnings for all jobs in Missouri was $64,000 in 2020, while the average earnings of…
