News

Katie Boody, LEANLAB Education

From KC to Down Under, expanded LEANLAB attracts education innovators to latest fellowship

By Tommy Felts / September 12, 2019

Ten companies arriving Friday to LEANLAB Education’s latest fellowship are expected to be met with real-world classroom partners from nine school systems in the Kansas City metro and Colorado. “When those closest to the issues in education — teachers, parents and students — have access to cutting-edge innovators and researchers, they’ll be able to collectively…

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Plug And Play launch event at the Kansas Statehouse

Plug and Play: Global accelerator could unify animal health corridor, grow Topeka’s startup ecosystem

By Tommy Felts / September 12, 2019

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. TOPEKA…

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Sean Rad, Tinder; and Sarah Hill, StoryUp Studios

Tinder founder boards advisory team as StoryUP closes oversubscribed $1M+ round

By Tommy Felts / September 12, 2019

Building a global company requires boots on the ground, Sarah Hill said as she waited to board a flight to Kansas City, hours after the close of her startup’s first million-dollar funding round. “Once the Kansas City investors hopped in, that’s when it came to be oversubscribed — we were just delighted,” said Hill, founder…

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Launch Health Accelerator 2019 cohort

Women-led Kansas City companies fuel Launch Health accelerator’s first cohort

By Tommy Felts / September 11, 2019

Healthcare needs an overhaul and four Kansas City-area companies are among those poised to disrupt the industry as part of the first Launch Health Accelerator cohort, explained Jeremy Tasset.  “Through the health accelerator, we were seeking companies with fresh ideas that give rise to improving care and lowering costs that can be readily integrated into…

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PayIt iKan

PayIt’s iKan app named a finalist in Fast Company 2019 Innovation by Design honors

By Tommy Felts / September 10, 2019

Kansas City’s PayIt isn’t just worthy of investment — its foundational technology continues to win awards alongside the likes of Nike, Microsoft and Mastercard, said John Thomson. Fast Company honored iKan — a PayIt-powered app that allows Kansas residents to pay vehicle registration renewals, renew their driver’s license (the country’s first-ever mobile driver’s license renewal service),…

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