Meet three tech startup founders pitching in KC’s women-led ‘Dolphin Tank’ event

A pitch event is set to return to Kansas City with a trio of female founders spotlighted for a panel of “dolphins.”

“Springboard’s Dolphin Tank brings the power of our collective community to women entrepreneurs innovating in enterprise tech,” said Natalie Buford-Young, CEO of Springboard Enterprises. “Our Dolphin Tank events showcase exciting women-led companies and provide them with the opportunity for connections, capital, and insight from our audience of investors, advisors, and industry leaders.”

In-person pitches and networking are set for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10 at Polsinelli, 900 W. 48th St.

Click here to RSVP for the debut pitch event.

“Springboard’s Dolphin Tank is coming to Kansas City thanks to support from OneKC for Women, Wells Fargo, and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation — with two more annual pitch events slated for the coming years. We are honored to bring more attention to women founders in the Heartland,” said Buford-Young.

Springboard is a 501c3 not for profit organization that works to boost women entrepreneurs in technology and life sciences. For 22 years, it has been surrounding women with what they need to lead and succeed, the organization said. The event is Springboard’s second in-person pitch in Kansas City. It also previously hosted a virtual Dolphin Tank.

Three woman-led companies were chosen for the Nov. 10 showcase.

“We selected the best and brightest women-led tech startups to pitch their companies at Dolphin Tank: Kansas City Women in Tech,” said Buford-Young.

Pitching companies include:

• Cardiobra (Dr. Ashley Simmons) — A patent-pending garment with a design that limits breast motion, promotes accurate ECG lead placement, reduces ECG lead artifact and ECG lead adherence, allows rapid access for echocardiogram image acquisition, and limits artifact in nuclear stress testing.

• CodeAlgo Academy (Triumfia Fulks) — Uses gamification to teach coding skills to students in kindergarten through eighth grade, so they can develop programming skills and critical thinking before reaching high school, and then be better prepared to enter the workforce after graduation.

• AskSAMIE (Dr. Brandy Archie) — The app builds a curated digital cart of adaptive equipment for patients recovering from significant health events or medical procedures, taking into account their specific physical needs and environmental constraints. (Click here to read more about AskSAMIE’s recent success at the Pure Pitch Rally.)

Expert “dolphins” set to offer support at the event include:

• Aviva Ajmera — founder and CEO of SoLVE KC
• Vercie L. Lark — author, small business advocate, investor
• Margo Shepard — private wealth financial advisor at Wells Fargo
• Debra Ellies — board director and CEO of OssiFi

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