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

Heidi Lehmann and Michael Prewitt, Kenzen

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

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

Tagged , ,
Featured Business
    Featured Founder

      2022 Startups to Watch

        stats here

        Related Posts on Startland News

        You can’t plan for this: ‘Mr K’ finalists wary of another ‘wrench into the face’ from Washington

        By Tommy Felts | May 30, 2025

        An upended national political and economic climate has rippled down to Main Street, acknowledged leaders of this year’s Top 10 Small Businesses, bringing concerns about racism, DEI backlash, tariffs, and supply chain disruptions to Kansas City’s front door.  “We’ve had people come into the shop and harass our employees, our customers,” explained Dulcinea Herrera —…

        Hyde Park coffee space reopens with family vibe fitting historic neighborhood’s roots, owners say

        By Tommy Felts | May 30, 2025

        A newly opened neighborhood coffee shop in Hyde Park hopes to bring a fresh, family-friendly vibe to Kansas City’s bustling coffee scene, its owners said. “We created 1888 Coffee to be something different — not just another café, but a welcoming hub for our community,” said Christine Kehoe, co-owner and operator of 1888 Coffee with…

        Topeka recruited dozens of Filipino teachers for local classrooms; at year’s end, the district hopes they’ll stay

        By Tommy Felts | May 29, 2025

        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.  TOPEKA — Although international educators are not new to the state’s capital city, Topeka welcomed about 50 teachers from the Philippines this past school year to address shortages within the…

        Startup ideas are here, but does Kansas have the risk capital to get them to the next level?

        By Tommy Felts | May 29, 2025

        Eight early-stage Kansas entrepreneurs sat across from Midwest-based investors this week at Aspiria NOW in Overland Park, engaging in rapid-fire, “speed dating” style meetings aimed at moving their ventures closer to real investment. “We’re seeing just a great inflow of companies, especially at the early stage, come in just high levels of sophistication and awareness…