Minority-Led

UMKC-powered tech could help visually-impaired Kansas Citians see via artificial intelligence

By Tommy Felts / May 21, 2019

Gharib Gharibi is driven to succeed by a desire to pay it forward, he said, riding a high from his startup’s first-place, $20,000 win at UMKC’s Regnier Institute Venture Creation Challenge. “They helped us transform our technology from the computer lab to the real world,” Gharibi, founder of DeepLens and a UMKC PhD student, said…

Look inside (and out): Corrigan Station expansion offers startups skyline views from within Crossroads

By Tommy Felts / May 17, 2019

Decades have passed since the last new office building opened in the Crossroads Arts District, said Edna Martinson. In a matter of weeks, startups and small businesses can “create their own vibe” when the 22,910-square-foot Corrigan Station expansion project — led by Copaken-Brooks — unlocks its doors and opens them to Kansas City innovators, added Martinson,…

$18M buyout of TomboyX shares shows investing in women pays off, says Women’s Capital Connection

By Tommy Felts / May 16, 2019

Women are winning in Kansas City, said Kelly Sievers as 24 members of Women’s Capital Connection receive their return from an $18-million buyout of their shares in a Seattle woman’s startup. “They’re getting a great infusion of capital to grow even more and we also still have money in the company because we invested a…

ShotTracker partners with entire NCAA conference, taking shot at potential in-game analytics

By Tommy Felts / May 15, 2019

The game is all about proliferating ShotTracker’s technology, said Davyeon Ross, announcing a new partnership with the Mountain West conference to spread the Kansas-born stats-and-analytics tech further across collegiate basketball. Ross’ goal: nothing short of overhauling sports. “The Mountain West continues to stand out for being a pioneer in adopting the latest cutting-edge technologies,” the…

Break Free KC drops beat on cultural stereotypes, aims to rebrand hip hop

By Tommy Felts / May 14, 2019

Hip hop culture in Kansas City is misunderstood, James “Sug Easy” Singleton said, explaining his mission to help local artists break free of stereotypes and live their passion with authenticity. “When I have a 88-year-old lady at my camp seeing her grandson — who came in with a negative notion of what hip hop was going…