All Stories

Target Hill Capital defusing risk on startups between friends and family, seed funding stages

By Tommy Felts / November 5, 2018

An opportunity to deliver exponential impact in a community committed to entrepreneurship has resulted in the launch of Target Hill Capital –– an outside-the-box venture capital fund, Marshall Dougherty said.  “When we were involved [with previous startups], we compared notes and surveyed the startup ecosystem in Kansas City,” Dougherty said of the events that led…

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Andrew Belt, Aloe

Lenexa-based Aloe soothes health insurance enrollment pains with human touch

By Tommy Felts / November 5, 2018

A patient’s “wow” moment shouldn’t be when he or she opens a medical bill and discovers procedures that unexpectedly aren’t covered by insurance, said Andrew Belt, co-founder of Aloe. “People are frustrated — frustrated because they don’t understand how their coverage works or what’s included, and it doesn’t seem like anyone they talk to understands,”…

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LendingStandard plans innovation upgrade with $2.5M investment from Flyover Capital

By Tommy Felts / November 5, 2018

An investment in innovation has landed Kansas City-based LendingStandard $2.5 million in investment funds following the close of a Series A funding round led by Flyover Capital, CEO Andy Kallenbach said. “These are folks that are well-known in Kansas City and have had software businesses in the past, and that’s a really rare combination,” Kallenbach…

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MECA Challenge at the Hy-Vee Arena, School of the Future

Don’t just play the game: MECA Challenge urges students to innovate ‘school of the future’

By Tommy Felts / November 2, 2018

Challenging Kansas City students to envision “the school of the future” will usher in a paradigm shift wherein teens can see themselves as customers of school, said Katie Kimbrell optimistically. “[Students] don’t even think, ‘Oh, I could rethink this whole thing that I’m experiencing,’ and choose — or even demand — something different,” said Kimbrell,…

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Kyle Smith, Determination, Incorporated

KCultivator Q&A: Kyle J Smith talks serious work, socks with sandals, pickled pig brains

By Tommy Felts / November 2, 2018

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. A place to live, work, and play — three ingredients for a new life, said Kyle J. Smith, founder…

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KCSourceLink All-Star Voting Winners

New five-year government grant, matching funds will help KCSourceLink fill gaps, build inclusivity

By Tommy Felts / November 1, 2018

The payoff from a new five-year grant to KCSourceLink will most immediately be seen in a refreshed website with a more streamlined user experience for doers, makers, creators and entrepreneurs searching for help in taking the next — or first — step in building a business. “Our goal is to strengthen the fundamental building blocks of a…

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Toby Rush, Zoloz, Ant Financial

Toby Rush on emerging blockchain: Layers of trust slowly building behind the scenes

By Tommy Felts / November 1, 2018

Much like companies’ web pages in the mid-1990s, blockchain isn’t yet consumer-ready, said Toby Rush. “But [development is] going to move at an accelerated pace,” said Rush, CEO of Zoloz and senior director of international technology investments at Ant Financial. “We’re over 20 years later from ’96, and I think you’ll see [blockchain] move and…

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Ryan Weber, KC Tech Council

Eyeing jobs potential, KC Tech Council celebrates MO governor’s signing of STEM education bill

By Tommy Felts / November 1, 2018

Support for STEM and the Missouri tech space is uploading in Jefferson City, Ryan Weber said in light of successful legislation that will reformat the way high school students benefit from technology courses. A bill increasing access to computer science courses — which gained a second life during a special session in September after previously…

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Lula

Lula partners with Platinum Realty to help home buyers, sellers find quality contractors

By Tommy Felts / October 31, 2018

New homeowners — and even those selling — need contractors, said Bo Lais. It’s a reality understood by Platinum Realty, a new partner for home services tech startup Lula. “Lula is really excited about assisting Platinum Realty agents throughout that process because new home owners are constantly asking their real estate agents who they should…

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Tom's Town Distilling Company

Amid expansion, Tom’s Town redesign inspired by optimism of those thirsty for a better life

By Tommy Felts / October 30, 2018

Kansas City-distilled Tom’s Town is pouring expansion into the headlines as the company’s spirits quench a national thirst for craft liquor, said Steve Revare. “[Our success] has really exceeded our expectations,” said Revare, founder factotum, describing Tom’s Town’s coming 10-state rollout. “With the quality of our spirits, the packaging, and the rich story behind it…

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