News

Pepper teams with Switzerland cyber security expert to combat ‘terrifying’ IoT threats

By Tommy Felts / December 6, 2018

A new, long-term collaboration between KC-based Pepper IoT and an international leader in digital security has an opportunity to aggressively boost consumer confidence in the rapidly expanding — and potentially hostile — Internet of Things, said Scott Ford. “It is terrifying to see millions of vulnerable connected devices being distributed to U.S. consumers who have…

Artist incubator paints scene of blissful collaboration in far-from-lonely West Bottoms space

By Tommy Felts / December 5, 2018

Vanessa Lacy’s artist incubator eliminates “the lonely artist,” she said, noting her gallery model replaces solitude with creative relationships and a collaborative community. “Artists tend to get very isolated in their studio spaces working on their own; then they have a relationship with a gallery that’s really more of a business relationship,” said Lacy, owner…

Order here: Menufy online restaurant platform delivers results, food from OP startup

By Tommy Felts / December 5, 2018

Servicing the online orders of more than 300 restaurants in the Kansas City metro, Overland Park-based Menufy is scaling its platform across the U.S., while maintaining a startup mindset, said Ashishh Desai. “Even though now we have over 4,000 restaurants nationwide — every state but Vermont and in 1,200 cities — we still have that…

Take the Kauffman survey: Is KC’s startup culture welcoming and inclusive to all?

By Tommy Felts / December 4, 2018

Perception shapes reality, said organizers of a survey that seeks greater understanding of Kansas City’s startup culture. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s 2018 Entrepreneurship in Kansas City survey checks the pulse of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem by raising specific questions about culture and practice in workplaces across the metro, said John Quinterno and Julie Marks,…

Onward scores $1M grant from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for payday loan end-run

By Tommy Felts / December 4, 2018

Everyone needs a financial cushion, said Ronnie Washington — even a fintech startup offering low- to moderate-income workers a path to avoid predatory lending practices, the Onward founder said. A member of KC-based Fountain City Fintech’s inaugural cohort, Onward is one of 10 companies from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico being awarded $1 million…