All Stories

Top VC-Backed

2018 Top VC-Backed Companies in Kansas City List

By Tommy Felts / August 22, 2018

The Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies in Kansas City List recognizes the growing cohort of growth-stage, venture-backed companies in the Kansas City metro — further illustrating the impact of the countless efforts aimed at boosting entrepreneurship in the region and creating a productive dialogue. The list is expected to be updated and published annually. The 2018…

Read More >
Made in KC Marketplace

Made in KC cocktails: Plaza tasting room infuses local spirits into 6 unique concoctions

By Tommy Felts / August 21, 2018

No rum behind the bar? Ozzie Mendoza Diaz has the recipe for six Made in KC cocktails that feature only spirits from Kansas City-area distillers. And while the metro freely pours gin, vodka and even tequila for the thirsty masses, rum isn’t on the locally made menu — a problem for daiquiri lovers, said Tyler…

Read More >

Entrepreneur’s pitch: Throw a life vest to those caring for loved ones with special needs

By Tommy Felts / August 21, 2018

Families of loved ones with disabilities are fighting the clock, said Samantha Lane, Kansas City-area entrepreneur and founder of Lumina Advocacy and Coaching in Gardner. “There is a huge gap to be filled,” Lane said as she described the array of physical, intellectual, and sensory needs affecting — what she referenced as one-fifth of the American…

Read More >
DivvyHQ

DivvyHQ landed Novel’s first investment by avoiding hockey-stick growth, co-founder says

By Tommy Felts / August 21, 2018

It was a marriage of the minds, said DivvyHQ co-founder Brody Dorland, describing his marketing tech firm’s recent investment from Novel Growth Partners. The company’s leadership — Dorland and co-founder Brock Stechman — is honored to be recipients of NGP’s first investment, Dorland said. But the pairing didn’t come by accident, he added. “I think they viewed…

Read More >
Claude Harris, College Coaching Network; Gabby Wallace, Go Natural English; Brody Dorland, DivvyHQ; Digital Sandbox: Summer in the Sand, talent showdown

In talent showdown with corporate neighbors, startups must hire smarter, say Digital Sandbox experts

By Tommy Felts / August 20, 2018

Kansas City heavy-weights like Garmin and Cerner court developers at the student level, said Brody Dorland, discussing a talent showdown seen by startups across the metro. “How am I supposed to compete with that?” asked Dorland, co-founder of marketing tech firm DivvyHQ, during a recent Digital Sandbox: Summer in the Sand panel about growing startup…

Read More >

KC Fed: Want to strengthen Kansas City’s job market? Narrow skills gap caused by digital division

By Tommy Felts / August 20, 2018

Digital division in Kansas City is taking its toll on the local workforce, said Jeremy Hegle. More must be done to allow skilled workers access to technology — in turn offering them a chance to succeed in a rapidly growing electronic economy, added Hegle, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City senior community development advisor. In…

Read More >
Corey Mohn, Blue Valley CAPS

Vote now: Kansas Citians vie to lead tech, education panels at SXSW 2019

By Tommy Felts / August 20, 2018

A cadre of Kansas Citians are hoping to take the podium at one of the nation’s largest tech and innovation conferences in 2019. At least four Kansas City tech and entrepreneurship leaders are vying for panel or speaking spots at the 2019 South by Southwest conference March 8-17 in Austin, Texas. SXSW recently opened voting…

Read More >
Matthew Marcus, 2016 Techweek 100 honoree

Nominations for Techweek 100 list of premier KC innovators close Sept. 9

By Tommy Felts / August 18, 2018

It’s not a ranking. Techweek 100 celebrates the whole spectrum of individuals and organizations who are impacting the business and technology landscape on a significant scale in cities like Kansas City, organizers said. Nominations close Sunday, Sept. 9. “Honorees include fast-growing technology companies, prominent sector investors, key contributing enablers of the digital ecosystem, those at…

Read More >
Erin Smith, FacePrint

Lenexa teen IDs winning medical solution with Parkinson’s detection tech FacePrint

By Tommy Felts / August 17, 2018

Stanford University will have to wait. Eighteen-year-old Erin Smith is taking her medical technology venture, FacePrint, on the road. The Johnson County teen has been selected to join two prestigious fellowships to further develop FacePrint, which is a diagnostic and monitoring Tool for Parkinson’s Disease. She’s been tapped for $25,000 from the Davidson Institute for…

Read More >
Velocity Lee's Summit

Velocity Lee’s Summit gets first big boost from city with $145K innovation investment

By Tommy Felts / August 17, 2018

A $145,000 allocation for Velocity Lee’s Summit represents the first step in the City of Lee’s Summit getting serious about investing in innovation, said Grant Gooding. “There is a lot of talent in Lee’s Summit and we wanted to give entrepreneurs a place and an ecosystem to foster the development of their businesses,” said Gooding,…

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.