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
Café Equinox propagates new year-round Liberty location; Nelson brothers taking perennial coffee concept evergreen
Café Equinox initially was meant to operate its coffee shop concept only during the equinox, nestled inside Family Tree Nursery greenhouses, said Jonah Nelson. “From September through March when people don’t have that warm outside space, they can come to the greenhouse,” said Nelson, who operates the family-owned garden centers with his brother, Jessie. “It…
KC Tech Council shuffles tech veterans among key board positions; their goal: keep KC tech competitive
A leadership transition at the top advocacy group for Kansas City’s tech community aims to continue the organization’s mission, while opening even more doors for companies across the region that are brimming with innovation. “We plan to broaden our collective impact within the region by providing new opportunities through policy advocacy, tech talent development, catalyzing…
Pilot program targets $50K ops grants to culturally-driven orgs, businesses in the arts
Small arts programs across the region could receive a $50,000 grant from a new pilot program that aims to provide vital sustainability funding for arts-centric businesses and organizations that often fall through the cracks. Applications for the Cultural Sustainability grants are open through 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10. The program plans to give general operating…
10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2025
It’ll be a year for entrepreneurs on a mission. Many of the startups poised to make eye-catching headlines in 2025 also are working toward a better future — for the earth, for mothers, for people who love their pets, for Kansas Citians who’ve embraced the city’s craft community, and even for sports enthusiasts honing their…



