Minority-Led

Donations honoring late podcast host, comedian fund ‘place of peace’ for young creators; recording studio dedicated to Mathew George

By Tommy Felts / May 24, 2022

Friends and family of the late podcast host Mathew George gathered to celebrate the dedication of Operations Breakthrough’s newly-debuted recording studio on what would have been Mathew’s 27th birthday. “What could have been a really depressing day was more celebratory, like it would have been if he were still here,” shared Mary Ann George, mother…

Pipeline Innovators gala adds glamour, top honors back into the mix for celebration of fellows 

By Tommy Felts / May 21, 2022

A remixed Pipeline Innovators gala honored veteran and emerging fellows from within the elite startup founder network Friday — returning the full live celebration to a stage in Kansas City for the first time since 2018 and crowning two new Innovator of the Year recipients. Marking the first Innovators gala for Pipeline executive director Melissa…

When a global health crisis exposed ‘broken’ systems, these KC startups jabbed back

By Tommy Felts / May 21, 2022

Patients need easier access to their medical records, said Saroj Gupta, stressing the life-threatening outcomes for individuals who might miss important vaccinations — or erroneously obtain multiple doses — because of poor or hard-to-find documentation. “We call ourselves a developed country, but our healthcare system is so broken,” said Saroj Gupta, the founder and CEO…

AT&T deal brings head-to-head ‘Pet Battles’ to Boddle in a first for the KC-made edtech app

By Tommy Felts / May 20, 2022

A new collaboration between Boddle Learning and AT&T hopes to keep students plugged into learning long after they’ve unplugged from the classroom.  “With summer break quickly approaching, it’s important to help kids maintain knowledge outside of the classroom,” AT&T said in a release announcing its teamed up with Tulsa-based, Kansas City-born Boddle to introduce new…

Meet the finalists: KC tech startups competing to boost health, vibrancy of diverse communities

By Tommy Felts / May 17, 2022

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. WICHITA…