All Stories

Tim Yu, Pluto Money

New in KC: FinTech founder finds more than flyover fountains amid high-profile KC accelerator

By Tommy Felts / October 3, 2019

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what’ they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Tim Yu hadn’t given Kansas City much thought — then…

Read More >
Vinay Kumar, 9Star

New in KC: Austin transplant sees wide-open spaces for growth, startup potential

By Tommy Felts / October 3, 2019

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what’ they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Hiring a team in Austin, Texas, was “literally impossible,” Vinay…

Read More >
Austin Wilson, UrbanLeap

New in KC: GovTech startup leader goes remote, relocating for KC costs with West Coast pay

By Tommy Felts / October 3, 2019

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what’ they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Kansas City’s got two things going for it: a growing…

Read More >
Investing in women

Advice for women founders: Be ‘tough as balls’ but don’t fear asking for help, panelists say 

By Tommy Felts / October 2, 2019

Want to rise to the top? Stop limiting yourself to gender roles in the workplace, declared Jene’ Hong.  “I didn’t see people as male or female,” Hong, told a crowd gathered for Startland’s Innovation Exchange: Investing in the Power of Women.  “I started off in accounting — everyone was male. I was taught to curse…

Read More >
Tim Schaffer, AREA Real Estate Advisors; and Basel Bataineh, Somera Road

Downtown innovation district: Developers envision 30-story Lightwell project as its own startup hub

By Tommy Felts / October 2, 2019

It’s possible the Lightwell building’s exterior hasn’t been cleaned since 1977, joked Tim Schaffer as he walked a vine-wrapped rooftop terrace that overlooks downtown Kansas City.  “It was totally unintentional, the way it came together,” Schaffer, president of AREA Real Estate Advisors, said of the multi-million-dollar office redevelopment project that’s quickly evolved into what Schaffer…

Read More >
Ben Hammes, Social Afterlife

Lifting the burden: Social Afterlife oversees social media accounts of lost loved ones

By Tommy Felts / October 1, 2019

Receiving a birthday notification on a social media platform is a common source of angst for Ben Hammes’ customers, the founder of Social Afterlife said.   “We handle the memorialization or removal of social media for the deceased on behalf of the family,” Hammes said, explaining his startup. “This helps the family with dealing with the…

Read More >
Doug Tree, Staychill

Hilly KU campus inspires ‘back sweat’ innovation for Startup Weekend KC team

By Tommy Felts / October 1, 2019

If more entrepreneurs were willing to invest a little sweat alongside virtual strangers, they’d carry an even larger number of cutting-edge startups to success, Tyler Sherman said. “In two days, we have a product that I feel comfortable enough to say we’ll roll with,” Sherman, a participant in the recent Techstars Startup Weekend, said of…

Read More >
Kasim Hardaway; Photo courtesy of Nam Cu

Social Side Effect: Don’t call Kasim Hardaway an influencer (but do ask him about poké)

By Tommy Felts / September 28, 2019

Editor’s note: Social Side Effect is an ongoing profile series that identifies the intersection between social influencing and entrepreneurship   Instagram stories are more than temporary snapshots. They’re a growing vehicle for influencer marketing in Kansas City, Kasim Hardaway explained.  “It was never something I set out to do. It kind of just happened,” Hardaway, a…

Read More >
Aware Vehicles

Aware Vehicles accelerates pilot-free drone development thanks to IgniteX partnership with Black & Veatch

By Tommy Felts / September 28, 2019

Drones are one step closer to becoming completely automated with the help of Aware Vehicles, a finalist in the IgniteX Accelerator.  The Kansas City-based tech startup focuses on non-human interaction for the flight, charge and data collection of drones, emphasized PJ Piper, CEO of Aware Vehicles and founder of QM Power.  “You get the eye…

Read More >
Cyber Security Operation Center (CSOC)

Fishtech Group scales CYDERES, leaping into deep end of global cybersecurity market

By Tommy Felts / September 26, 2019

National accolades and an expansion into Northwest Arkansas are feeding the latest round of rapid scaling at the Gary Fish-led Fishtech Group.  “Hitting the MSSP list for the first time at No. 25 is a huge honor and an endorsement of CYDERES’ position in the managed service market,” Eric Foster, CYDERES Chief Operating Officer, said…

Read More >
1MC-Digital-Attend-2460x318px-v1
Founders-Club-Banner-Ad-2

Join Founder's Club – Support Our Mission

Enjoy access to our email newsletter, members only Slack community, exclusive events and other member perks.