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Bird Cruiser

Take a seat: How do Bird’s new Cruisers fit into KCMO’s approach to disruptive innovation?

By Tommy Felts / June 25, 2019

With a cushioned seat for two, the new Bird Cruiser’s potential arrival in Kansas City this summer would ride within KCMO’s approach to emerging technologies and disruptive business models. Featuring 20-inch wheels, the electric Cruisers travel uphill in areas like Kansas City’s downtown with ease, according to Bird, and are a new take on the…

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Kirby Montgomery, TheraWe Connect, Pure Pitch Rally

Latest Digital Sandbox startups: Connecting solutions on climate change, supply chain, child therapy and voter education 

By Tommy Felts / June 25, 2019

Four new companies welcomed this week into the fold at Digital Sandbox KC help showcase the ongoing success of the 6-year-old proof-of-concept program, said Jeff Shackelford. “We’ve now provided project development funding for 118 area startups, and this group has raised over $70 million in add-on investment and created nearly 700 new area jobs,” said…

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Jy Maze, Maze Freight Solutions

Q&A: Founder Jy Maze on the industry that runs the world (and delivers the toilet paper)

By Tommy Felts / June 24, 2019

Everything has to ship, said Jy Maze. From the microphone in her hand to the stool where she sat to the shoes on the Maze Freight Solutions founder’s feet, it all comes with mileage and a cost, she said. Her woman-owned, Overland Park-based, third-party freight logistics startup itself was packed in 2017 when Maze decided…

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David Biga, Particle Space, left, Intercon USA 2019

AI smart sensor startup Particle Space earns ‘Top 50 Tech Companies’ distinction

By Tommy Felts / June 24, 2019

A virtually hardware-free property and building management platform from Particle Space earned the Kansas City-based startup high honors this month at Intercon in Las Vegas. “The future is bright, all buildings will communicate every interworking detail,” said David Biga, founder of Particle Space, which uses artificial intelligence and smart sensors for its residential and commercial…

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Carlanda McKinney, Raaxo

Got ideas for real-world events? Global Entrepreneurship Week accepting 2019 submissions

By Tommy Felts / June 22, 2019

A weeklong event elevating the doers, dreamers and makers at the heartbeat of Kansas City small business needs the community’s help, Jenny Miller said. Organizers of Global Entrepreneurship Week — set for Nov. 18-22 in Kansas City — are now accepting event submissions for this year’s celebration, said Miller, network builder at KCSourceLink and chair of…

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KCMO advancing its smart city action plan with focus on digital equity in urban tech

By Tommy Felts / June 22, 2019

Kansas City is one step closer to being a fully connected hub for urban tech, as local decision makers craft a smart city action plan. “That document will be what guides all of our future investments in technology,” explained Chris Hernandez, KCMO communications director. The action plan comes a year after the city issued a…

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Claudia and Carolina Recchi, EdSights

Why are college students dropping out? EdSights targets higher ed retention rates

By Tommy Felts / June 21, 2019

Only 56 percent of students who began college in 2012 actually graduated within the next six years, said startup founders Claudia Recchi and Carolina Recchi. The sisters’ own struggles as first-generation U.S. college students reinforced the challenge posed by such statistics, they said, prompting them to found EdSights, a startup using artificial intelligence to collect…

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Friendmedia moving San Fran HQ to Kansas City; planning $1.5M funding round for hiring

By Tommy Felts / June 20, 2019

San Francisco-based tech firm Friendmedia is expected to relocate its headquarters to Kansas City in 2020 amidst $1.5 million funding round, said Nick Magruder. “Our goal is to take advantage of all the great things that Kansas City brings to the table with all the great people, the low cost of living and everything that…

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Ire Cherry, Very Cherry Bakery

Cherry on top: 9-year-old baking entrepreneur cuts check to pay off KC students’ negative lunch balances

By Tommy Felts / June 19, 2019

Baking is the perfect recipe for spreading joy — owning a small business should be too, said 9-year-old Ire Cherry, recalling the moment she stood before administrators at University Academy in Kansas City, holding a check wider than she is tall. “My mom and her sister were talking about people in Virginia who couldn’t pay their…

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Erin Jenkins, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Kauffman Foundation’s Erin Jenkins bounces between contrasting cultures, startup life

By Tommy Felts / June 19, 2019

Editor’s note: This content was sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation but independently produced by Startland News. Curiosity took Erin Jenkins to Japan. Curiosity brought her home. In between, she embedded herself in the worlds of intercultural entrepreneurism and startup life — her journey aligning itself with an opportunity to serve as a program officer…

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