Minority-Led

‘Leadership is harder’: Founder duo debuting ‘Above the Fray’ in LinkedIn Live beta test

By Tommy Felts / November 6, 2019

Two influential voices in the Kansas City startup community hope their new LinkedIn Live show can inspire fellow founders to be true leaders, said Eze Redwood, co-creator of “Above the Fray.” “We want to bring in diverse perspectives from entrepreneurs in different fields that leaders would need to be successful,” explained Redwood, who unveiled the…

Collaboration Awaits: Blacktech Weekend aims to connect black innovators with a lasting network

By Tommy Felts / October 31, 2019

The most important aspect of Blacktech Weekend’s return to Kansas City Friday: connecting individuals from different segments of the entrepreneur cityscape, said Denayja Reese. “Across industries, we want them to collaborate with each other and continue to build community as well as bring in folks who are outside of the community into the fold,” said…

Emoji My City launches its hometown emoji keyboard with winks to iconic Kansas City

By Tommy Felts / October 26, 2019

Kansas City scenes from the Kauffman Center to 18th and Vine. Winks to local trends and celebrities. A playful push puts whimsical KC in the mobile devices of hometown fans and visitors alike. And it comes courtesy of the team that helped rebrand Kansas City’s now-iconic logo in 2013. In the age of digital marketing,…

InnovateKC: City pivots to startup-in-residence program to leverage local tech ingenuity

By Tommy Felts / October 23, 2019

A new administration equals a new spin on established ideas, Nia Richardson explained, previewing the launch of Kansas City’s InnovateKC program.  “I literally had a 45-minute conversation with [former city innovation officer] Bob Bennett before he walked out the door. He sent me an email with some notes and I had to pick it up…

KC-tested GoGetter uses AI to bring back human interaction in hiring talent (minus the middleman)

By Tommy Felts / October 23, 2019

As a software contractor at Cerner for two years, Naga Rayapati saw more than 40 percent of his paycheck go into the pockets of middlemen, he said. “While the contractor puts in their heart and soul working for the company, these ‘preferred vendors’ reap the benefits,” said Rayapati, referring to third parties in the hiring…