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
Grief happens on (and off) company time: Why a startup founded from loss is building holistic bereavement plans for corporate America
When grieving employees return to work, managers and colleagues often aren’t equipped to properly support them, said Lisa Cooper. “While I was working in corporate America for quite some time, I had witnessed a lot of dysfunction surrounding grief,” said Cooper, co-founder of Workplace Healing alongside Mindy Corporon. For example, I can remember specifically when someone…
Cherry enters the endorsement game, scoring NIL deals that also boost female college athletes
Partnering with college athletes is a natural elevation of sports apparel company Cherry Co., said Thalia Cherry. The KC-based brand signed agreements with 18 athletes for NIL (name, image, likeness) endorsement deals, shared Cherry, founder and CEO. “It’s a perfect alignment,” she continued. “We were already working with professional athletes in some capacity. So when…
Savvy duo builds their brand on embracing natural hair; Here’s how the salon chain is creating healthy space for stylists, clients alike
Savvy Salon KC — one of Kansas City’s only Black-owned salon chains — is all about creating a better experience for both the customer and the stylists, said founders Rickey and Lenora Leathers. The salon — which specializes in curly- and coily-textured hair and creating sustainable career opportunities for women of color — opened its…



