All Stories

Saturday MRKT, Justin Ikerionwu, By Design magazine

Saturday MRKT invites creatives, makers to vibe in a space with vintage grocery store feel

By Tommy Felts / November 14, 2019

A crossroads for creative collisions is planned this weekend amid a celebration of street/pop culture, said Justin Ikerionwu. “[We want to] bring together the different members of the creative and entrepreneur community and through … conversations and overall just a great vibe, they can interact and form future collaborations,” said Ikerionwu, organizer of the Nov.…

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Laurel Edelman, Sickweather

Launch Health check-up: Sickweather uses accelerator to diagnose its startup progress

By Tommy Felts / November 14, 2019

Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of stories on the six cohort companies of the Launch Health Accelerator, powered by Nueterra Capital and sponsored by LaunchKC. Click here to read all the stories published in this series. Just because your company’s been around the block doesn’t mean you’re done learning, said Laurel…

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Sumeet Maniar, WellBrain

Launch Health check-up: WellBrain uses cohort to reduce its own pain points in fight against opioid epidemic

By Tommy Felts / November 14, 2019

Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of stories on the six cohort companies of the Launch Health Accelerator, powered by Nueterra Capital and sponsored by LaunchKC. Click here to read all the stories published in this series. Launch KC offers hands-on programs, designed with intention, Sumeet Maniar said.  “I’ve done startups before and…

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Bryan Azorsky, Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club

Tiki Bar T-Shirt Club revives now-closed beachy haunts, celebrates era of the side hustle  

By Tommy Felts / November 14, 2019

Tiki Bar culture is a quirky niche for a Kansas City-based side hustle, admitted Bryan Azorsky, but rapidly evolving online tools that eliminate middlemen help make such passions profitable and scalable. “I think the future is really people having more than one job in a way. They may have their main job and then they…

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Kaitlin Doyle, TheraWe Connect

Launch Health check-up: TheraWe Connect bridging gap between parents, pediatric therapy

By Tommy Felts / November 13, 2019

Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of stories on the six cohort companies of the Launch Health Accelerator, powered by Nueterra Capital and sponsored by LaunchKC. Click here to read all the stories published in this series. Opportunity unlocked, it’s full steam ahead for TheraWe Connect as the startup prepares to check out…

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Mike Sobek, medZERO

Launch Health check-up: medZERO simplifies medical bill pay with zero interest, zero fees

By Tommy Felts / November 13, 2019

Editor’s note: The following is part of a series of stories on the six cohort companies of the Launch Health Accelerator, powered by Nueterra Capital and sponsored by LaunchKC. Click here to read all the stories published in this series. Paying medical bills should be as simple as making a car payment, said Mike Sobek.  “We…

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KCSF STARTLAND

KCSF rebrands to ‘STARTLAND’ and bolsters board, reflecting maturation of organization, ecosystem, leaders say

By Tommy Felts / November 13, 2019

A rebranding and name change for the Kansas City Startup Foundation will see the entrepreneurial community-building organization build on the legacy of Startland News while continuing to grow its education and talent programming. Now operating as STARTLAND, the organization still boasts its most-widely recognized programs — Startland News, MECA Challenge and Back2KC — which also have…

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Rajesh Nair and Mani Raman, Yotabites

KC boutique big data startup Yotabites planned its big exit for 2025 — a buyer came five years early

By Tommy Felts / November 9, 2019

Starting with a laser-focus on attacking big data’s fundamental problems, Lenexa-based Yotabites is announcing its acquisition from Oregon-based ProKarma, said Rajesh Nair, noting the sale fell many years ahead of schedule for the forward-thinking startup. “It really started out as a combination of things for us: from [seeing a lack of] creativity in the big…

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Blade & Timber, Lawrence

Mass Street fire leaves future uncertain for Blade & Timber’s Lawrence store

By Tommy Felts / November 9, 2019

An early morning fire at Blade & Timber’s Massachusetts Street location in Lawrence has left the premier axe-throwing startup waiting for answers, said Matt Baysinger. “While it’s a surreal experience to learn that your business is on fire and that there’s nothing you can do about it, I’m incredibly grateful that nobody was in the…

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Roy Scott, Healthy Hip Hop

Two Kansas City startups relocating to St. Louis to cash $50K Arch Grants awards

By Tommy Felts / November 8, 2019

Two Kansas City tech startups are on the move — winning spots in the Arch Grants competition, an “aggressive effort” to build St. Louis’ startup ecosystem. Healthy Hip Hop and FastDemocracy were among 20 companies each earning $50,000 in equity-free cash grants through the selection, which also requires the startups run their businesses from St.…

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