News

Kasim Hardaway; Photo courtesy of Nam Cu

Social Side Effect: Don’t call Kasim Hardaway an influencer (but do ask him about poké)

By Tommy Felts / September 28, 2019

Editor’s note: Social Side Effect is an ongoing profile series that identifies the intersection between social influencing and entrepreneurship   Instagram stories are more than temporary snapshots. They’re a growing vehicle for influencer marketing in Kansas City, Kasim Hardaway explained.  “It was never something I set out to do. It kind of just happened,” Hardaway, a…

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Aware Vehicles

Aware Vehicles accelerates pilot-free drone development thanks to IgniteX partnership with Black & Veatch

By Tommy Felts / September 28, 2019

Drones are one step closer to becoming completely automated with the help of Aware Vehicles, a finalist in the IgniteX Accelerator.  The Kansas City-based tech startup focuses on non-human interaction for the flight, charge and data collection of drones, emphasized PJ Piper, CEO of Aware Vehicles and founder of QM Power.  “You get the eye…

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Cyber Security Operation Center (CSOC)

Fishtech Group scales CYDERES, leaping into deep end of global cybersecurity market

By Tommy Felts / September 26, 2019

National accolades and an expansion into Northwest Arkansas are feeding the latest round of rapid scaling at the Gary Fish-led Fishtech Group.  “Hitting the MSSP list for the first time at No. 25 is a huge honor and an endorsement of CYDERES’ position in the managed service market,” Eric Foster, CYDERES Chief Operating Officer, said…

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Gary White, Water.org; courtesy of the Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, University of Missouri

KC-based Water.org fills need with focus on poverty as a market to be served

By Tommy Felts / September 26, 2019

When philanthropy is used to correct a market failure, there is potential for profit, said Gary White, co-founder and CEO of Water.org. “The poor should not necessarily be seen as a problem to be solved but a market to be served,” White told a recent crowd at the University of Missouri, highlighting the importance of…

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Voting with cash: Meet the 8 Kansas City tech startups competing in the Pure Pitch Rally

By Tommy Felts / September 25, 2019

The landsharks are circling and eight hungry tech founders are ready to sell their ideas at the fourth annual, invite-only Pure Pitch Rally, the early-stage funding platform announced Wednesday.  “In Kansas City, we have the business soul and hunger to help others — through both community crowdsourced giving and offering others a stepping stone to…

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