Kenzen shortlisted for Webby Award; Here’s how you can help make this Startup to Watch a People’s Voice winner
April 8, 2022 | Startland News Staff
A Kansas City startup that’s gained accolades and hefty investment for its wearable health monitoring device is nominated for Best App and Software in the 26th Annual Webby Awards — the highest profile awards recognition for excellence on the Internet.
“Nominees like Kenzen are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said Claire Graves, president of The Webby Awards. “It is an incredible achievement to be selected the best from among 13,500 entries from 50 states and 70 countries that we received this year.”
Past Webby Award winners have included celebrities with online influence — from David Bowie to Jimmy Fallon — to internet pioneers such as Kickstarter, Pokeman Go, Tinder, and the Obama for America tech team.
Kenzen, a Kansas City-based climate tech worker safety company, created an app that alerts workers when they need to rest, hydrate, and cool their bodies to prevent heat stress and fatalities in indoor and outdoor work environments. The app also alerts supervisors when workers are in danger. On-screen alerts indicate when an intervention is needed, and a second alert indicates when workers can safely return to the job.
Click here to read more about Kenzen, which was named one of Startland News’ Kansas City’s Startups to Watch in 2022.
“This is the year for Kenzen to bring home the gold,” said Heidi Lehmann, co-founder of Kenzen. “This award calls more attention to what President Biden and OSHA have prioritized: protecting people who work in the earth’s rising temperatures. Heat illness and fatalities are 100 percent preventable yet heat is the number-one weather-related killer in the United States. Technology can fix this.”
As a Webby nominee, Kenzen is also eligible to win a Webby People’s Voice Award; fans can vote for Kenzen online now through April 21.
Click here to vote in the Webby People’s Voice Awards.
Webby winners are expected to be announced April 26 and honored in a star-studded show in New York City.
The Kenzen system is used by industrial companies in construction, manufacturing, firefighting, agriculture, utilities, transportation, and oil and gas. It is a SaaS system that includes a wearable device worn by workers that gathers physiological data that triggers alerts when the worker’s core body temperature is too high. The continuous monitoring system keeps workers safe and helps companies proactively manage risk and productivity. Data is used by Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) leaders to enhance heat safety across the company.
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

2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
‘Black-owned dining passport’ launches in response to Trump’s attacks on diversity
A new effort encouraging support for local, Black-owned businesses — many in Kansas City’s historically redlined neighborhoods — is a timely reminder of the purchasing power in each diner’s hands, said Brandon Calloway. Kansas City G.I.F.T. on Friday launched the first edition of its “Savor The Flavor” Black-Owned Dining Passport, which features 13 restaurants. Diners…
As ICE threat scares customers, Kansas City businesses urged to ‘protect people working for you’
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. After a highly publicized raid on a Mexican restaurant in Liberty, Missouri, earlier this month, immigration advocates and attorneys are rushing…
In Good Company: This ‘hidden gem’ offers escape from club chaos, KC’s corporate nightlife
A new East Crossroads venue on McGee offers no clues of what’s inside. The black facade out front features no marquee. No neon lights. It’s the first indication that In Good Company is something different from neighboring Power & Light District hot spots. The goal: Good people. Good drinks. Good vibes. “It’s not a club.…
Protein-packed pallets: Sam’s Club deal pushes SimplyFUEL balls to record production (and Mitzi Dulan is rolling with it)
Juggling more than 50 million protein balls in 2024 is paying off for SimplyFUEL, Mitzi Dulan said, noting production quadrupled during the past year after adding retail giant Sam’s Club to its wholesale lineup. The founder and CEO is already riding that momentum in 2025, she said, teasing another big retailer launch in April. It’s…



