Kansas startup founder, Pipeline fellow among finalists in NXTSTAGE healthtech competition
July 26, 2021 | Startland News Staff
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation.
WICHITA — A new pilot competition showcasing solutions from healthtech startups is expected to feature one of Kansas’ top emerging founders and a current Pipeline fellow.
Miguel Johns, founder and CEO of Wichita-based KingFit, is set to compete next month against 11 other finalists with his DiabetesCare platform in the inaugural NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Pilot Competition.
Mary Beth Jarvis, NXTSTAGE Pilot Accelerator
“This group of startups is poised to change communities for the better, and we are delighted they are competing to implement their innovations in Kansas,” said Mary Beth Jarvis, NXTUS executive director. “Thanks to our future-minded partners, Kansas can be a proving ground for technologies that show great promise to improve our population health and unlock growth potential in rural and urban areas.
“This idea is central to NXTSTAGE: We believe the Air Capital of the World can become the Pilot Capital of the World, and we want to show innovators that their businesses can make a difference and grow here.”
NXTSTAGE seeks to boost the growth of young tech companies and accelerate the pace of innovation in the region, according to its organizers.
Competition winners are expected to be announced Aug. 12 during an innovation showcase at Botanica, the Wichita Gardens. Click here to register for the in-person event.
The applicant pool for competition was diverse, Jarvis said, noting 82 percent had minority and/or female founders. Of the finalists, which hail from 10 states plus Montreal, Canada, 83 percent have ethnic minority or female founders, she said.
Miguel Johns, KingFit, DiabetesCare
“We are very impressed with the variety of applicants who are ready and willing to utilize their technology to help make Kansas a healthier state to live, work and play,” said Virginia Barnes, Blue Health Initiatives director at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the presenting sponsor of the competition. “This technology is poised to help us improve the social determinants of health in our state, giving Kansans more support systems and better access to care.”
Johns’ DiabetesCare, for example, uses social media and technology to engage people with diabetes and enroll them in programs that improve health outcomes.
Click here to learn more about the Wichita founder, a former participant in the Pitch Perfect program at the Enterprise Center in Johnson County and who was announced as a 2021 Pipeline Entrepreneurs fellow in February.
Along with funding from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, NXTSTAGE is supported by the Talent Ecosystem Fund at the Wichita Community Foundation, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and NetWork Kansas.
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2021 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Pathfinder CEO switch pushes co-founder’s focus back to autism research
A leadership change at Pathfinder Health Innovations will allow its co-founder to focus on research that could change the lives of children and adults with autism, said Jeff Blackwood. Pathfinder announced Tuesday its board had appointed Tina Youngblood as chief executive officer, succeeding co-founder Blackwood to lead day-to-day operations and the strategic direction for the…
KC native builds jumpsuits for all occasions — butt flap included
Party and potty in one easy piece. Literally. That’s the benefit of wearing a jumpsuit with a butt flap included: Users avoid the hassle of removing half the outfit to use the restroom, said Brittany Weltner. The Kansas City native just launched a crowdfunding campaign for her new business, Jomper, to build more functional jumpsuits…
‘Get a glimpse of your future’ — Investors want data with your pitch
Editor’s Note: This content is sponsored by Mid-Continent Public Library but independently produced by Startland News. For more on the tools discussed in this article, click here. Imagine this. Your wearable tech firm is thriving — so much, in fact, that you need an injection of investment capital to maintain sustainable growth. You’ve booked some…
Launch It Successfully hopes to reduce early stage frustration, struggle for startups
A new accelerator program produced by key leaders of software development firm Illumisoft is helping innovators start their businesses by “cutting through the nonsense,” said Tyler Prince. “We want to help entrepreneurs succeed,” he said. “I think we live in an age when change happens so rapidly.” Launch It Successfully’s goal is to assist early…