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Sunti Wathanacharoen, Pulmonaer Analytics

Pulmonaer Analytics joins Spencer Fane Startup Lab to advance digital asthma solution

By Tommy Felts / April 7, 2021

A leading Kansas City health tech startup is the latest company to join Spencer Fane’s three-month startup lab aimed at addressing the young venture’s legal needs as it develops a digital platform and app to improve asthma outcomes. “I deal with adult asthma every day of my life,” said Sunti Wathanacharoen, founder of Pulmonaer Analytics.…

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Bo Fishback, Zaarly

Zaarly to cease operations Friday ‘after 10 years of grinding’ as a top KC startup

By Tommy Felts / April 6, 2021

Leaders at a Prairie Village tech startup announced Monday their decade-long mission to fix a broken piece of the economy would come to a close later this week. Zaarly — an online marketplace to hire accountable home service providers — is expected to cease operations Friday, according to a message from Bo Fishback, co-founder and…

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Meet the charcuterie board of dairy, agtech startups joining the latest DFA accelerator

By Tommy Felts / April 6, 2021

A returning, Kansas City-based accelerator program focused on innovative dairy products and emerging agtech will be a living, breathing lab for seven newly selected companies, said Doug Dresslaer. Facial recognition software for cows, nanotechnologies to help treat mastitis and a single-serve, snack-sized cheese bar are among the startups now convening virtually as part of the…

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Holograms, nextgen streaming and immersive edtech: Meet T-Mobile’s new accelerator class, the future of 5G 

By Tommy Felts / April 5, 2021

Innovation around 5G technologies continues at the forefront of the T-Mobile Accelerator, as the longtime Kansas City-based program kicks off its three-month 2021 virtual cohort with an international cast of diverse companies. The eight handpicked startups are expected work directly with technologists and business leaders at T-Mobile to build a new wave of 5G tech…

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Godfrey Riddle, Civic Saint; photo by Fawn Lies

Civic Saint: How life-threatening setbacks inspired company built on universal humanity, survival

By Tommy Felts / April 2, 2021

Loss is stitched throughout much of Godfrey Riddle’s human story, he said. But its threads don’t define him — and they won’t unravel his mission to bring opportunity to Kansas Citians of every shade, size, and sexuality.  “Being a Black, gay man … I’ve lived through countless experiences of marginalization,” Riddle said, looking back on his…

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Kinley Strickland and Calvin Vick, KC Daiquiri Shop: Bistreaux

KC Daiquiri Shop: Bistreaux bringing a second line of family-focused Cajun flair to Overland Park

By Tommy Felts / April 2, 2021

When a second KC Daiquiri Shop goes marching into the Overland Park faubourg (suburb) later this month, family and flavor will round out the goals of its expansion — a passion project of its owners who are committed to meeting a rising local demand for authentic Cajun cuisine, they said.  “When we first started with…

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Chelsey M., KC Black Owned; photo courtesy of Anna Petrow, Made in KC

The secret to KC Black Owned’s success so far? Businesses worth finding, founder says

By Tommy Felts / April 1, 2021

A business’s digital footprint is the new word of mouth, the founder of KC Black Owned said, emphasizing that getting noticed is just half the fight for many Black-owned businesses. “It is so hard to find Black-owned businesses in certain professions and industries. But there’s a demand for it,” said Chelsey M., the mind behind…

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Jake Lisby and Paul Worcester, Simplifyy

KC proptech startup Simplifyy gets $5M Series A boost toward expansion plans; next up: DFW

By Tommy Felts / March 31, 2021

A Kansas City startup vying to replace traditional property management is rapidly expanding its services into new markets thanks to a multi-million dollar Series A round, CEO Jake Lisby announced Wednesday. Led by UnitLeader, a San Diego-based venture capital group, the $5 million round comes after Simplifyy co-founders Lisby and Paul Worcester spent nearly three…

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Right to Start: States getting $10B in stimulus funds to boost entrepreneurs; Here’s how they should invest it

By Tommy Felts / March 31, 2021

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Victor Hwang is the founder and CEO of the Right to Start movement. Click here to learn more about Right to Start, a campaign to drive economic recovery and advance economic justice. This commentary originally appeared on Route Fifty and is republished with…

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Carlanda McKinney, Bodify; Jonaie Johnson, Interplay; Digital Sandbox KC recipients

Digital Sandbox touts two Black women-led companies with latest round of funding

By Tommy Felts / March 31, 2021

The selection of Bodify and Interplay for the latest round of Digital Sandbox KC funding doubles down on the proof-of-concept program’s commitment to bring diverse innovative ideas in the Kansas City region to life, said Jill Meyer. “We’re always thrilled to welcome entrepreneurs with smart, scalable ideas to the Sandbox,” said Meyer, senior director of…

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