All Stories

Chronic Cow

Chronic Cow uses big data to attack pain: ‘I can still live a good life,’ founder with MS says

By Tommy Felts / February 5, 2019

Half of all Americans have a chronic illness, said former TeraCrunch co-founder Dr. Kevin Payne. That somber reality, paired with uninvolved physicians, makes quality of life difficult for patients and the focus of Payne’s new venture, Chronic Cow, he said. “From a medical perspective, all I can do as a patient is what my physicians…

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Ben Williams and Mitch Case, Mommy Meals co-founders

Mommy Meals designs simple dinner kits for delivery to new moms

By Tommy Felts / February 5, 2019

KC-cooked startup Mommy Meals aims to serve impact — not just dinner — attempting to tackle a growing mental health experience one hot plate at a time, said its co-founders. “I truly believe if you’re in a tough spot — you’re down on your luck, you’re in a dark spot — I always tell people ‘Go…

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FlipSwitch VR

FlipSwitch VR visualizes scaling its active, multiplayer gaming concept from Crossroads

By Tommy Felts / February 2, 2019

Kansas City could be the virtual reality hub of America, said Michael Eichenseer, predicting Crossroads-located FlipSwitch VR will jumpstart the movement with the help of First Fridays foot traffic. “The owners [KC natives Jim and Jamie Mahoney] definitely want to expand,” said Eichenseer, host and marketing manager for the “epic scale, free-roam, multiplayer virtual reality”…

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PHOTOS: Startland’s biggest event yet celebrates 2019 future newsmakers

By Tommy Felts / February 2, 2019

Founders, investors and audience members were treated to a glimpse of their potential futures Thursday night during Startland’s Startups to Watch in 2019 celebration. The premier event — presented at the Copaken Stage by Kansas City-grown and headquartered H&R Block — showcased 12 companies featured on Startland’s recent list of the most anticipated newsmakers for…

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OP-based Innovation in Motion angel fund finds sweet spot in seed stage startups

By Tommy Felts / February 1, 2019

A financial haven for entrepreneurs with fresh ideas in the agriculture, animal and human health spaces, Innovation in Motion (IIM) has made its ninth angel investment, said Lydia Kinkade. “We look for companies that are solving big problems, have a stellar team, and are poised to grow quickly,” said Kinkade, the Overland Park-sown fund’s managing…

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Life Equals shoots $2.35M oversubscribed round led by former Anheuser-Busch InBev exec

By Tommy Felts / January 31, 2019

Well, that didn’t take long. A freshly raised $2.35 million investment round will be a turning point for Life Equals, taking its brand to the national stage, said Kyle FitzGerald, announcing the funding Thursday at Startland’s Startups to Watch in 2019 celebration. Life Equals was selected as No. 7 on the list of Kansas City…

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Ben Hammes and Preston Koprivica, Chain of Trust Technologies

Chain of Trust manages secret passwords after coffee shop meetup, corporate departure

By Tommy Felts / January 30, 2019

From Starbucks to startup, a swipe right on networking opportunities led two Kansas City, Kansas, men to an adventure in tech entrepreneurship — disrupting the secret management space with the inception of Chain of Trust Technologies, they said. “If you’re going to be an entrepreneur, get people who you can talk to that can give…

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2019 Pipeline Fellows

Latest Pipeline fellows include familiar KC founders, startups focused on eSports, saving pets, ‘hearables’

By Tommy Felts / January 30, 2019

Eight Kansas City startup founders have the opportunity to build a lifetime of high-level entrepreneurial support as 2019 Pipeline fellows, said Joni Cobb. The Pipeline network of top-tier Midwest founders announced 13 new fellows last week at the organization’s annual Innovators event, staged this year in Omaha, said Cobb, president and CEO of Pipeline. More…

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Crema

Crema apprenticeship effort aims to decode a more inclusive talent pool

By Tommy Felts / January 29, 2019

Crema’s recent growth means more than an additional Crossroads office space for the startup, said Gabby Brotherton. It provides bandwidth for the firm to supplement Kansas City’s tech talent with a new apprenticeship program. “[Crema is] very much a company that values collaboration and innovation learning,” said Brotherton, marketing specialist at the software development firm.…

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RNAissance Ag

Biopesticide AgTech building toward RNAissance with TechAccel cultivation

By Tommy Felts / January 29, 2019

KC-based TechAccel endeavors to guide startups through “the valley of death” stage that emerges after ideation, but before traction, said Brad Fabbri, noting the firm’s new venture, RNAissance Ag, is expected to disrupt the ag tech industry with environmentally-safe biopesticides. “We try to find products and help develop them to make [farmers’] lives easier and…

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