News

Entrepreneur’s pitch: Throw a life vest to those caring for loved ones with special needs

By Tommy Felts / August 21, 2018

Families of loved ones with disabilities are fighting the clock, said Samantha Lane, Kansas City-area entrepreneur and founder of Lumina Advocacy and Coaching in Gardner. “There is a huge gap to be filled,” Lane said as she described the array of physical, intellectual, and sensory needs affecting — what she referenced as one-fifth of the American…

DivvyHQ landed Novel’s first investment by avoiding hockey-stick growth, co-founder says

By Tommy Felts / August 21, 2018

It was a marriage of the minds, said DivvyHQ co-founder Brody Dorland, describing his marketing tech firm’s recent investment from Novel Growth Partners. The company’s leadership — Dorland and co-founder Brock Stechman — is honored to be recipients of NGP’s first investment, Dorland said. But the pairing didn’t come by accident, he added. “I think they viewed…

In talent showdown with corporate neighbors, startups must hire smarter, say Digital Sandbox experts

By Tommy Felts / August 20, 2018

Kansas City heavy-weights like Garmin and Cerner court developers at the student level, said Brody Dorland, discussing a talent showdown seen by startups across the metro. “How am I supposed to compete with that?” asked Dorland, co-founder of marketing tech firm DivvyHQ, during a recent Digital Sandbox: Summer in the Sand panel about growing startup…

KC Fed: Want to strengthen Kansas City’s job market? Narrow skills gap caused by digital division

By Tommy Felts / August 20, 2018

Digital division in Kansas City is taking its toll on the local workforce, said Jeremy Hegle. More must be done to allow skilled workers access to technology — in turn offering them a chance to succeed in a rapidly growing electronic economy, added Hegle, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City senior community development advisor. In…

Vote now: Kansas Citians vie to lead tech, education panels at SXSW 2019

By Tommy Felts / August 20, 2018

A cadre of Kansas Citians are hoping to take the podium at one of the nation’s largest tech and innovation conferences in 2019. At least four Kansas City tech and entrepreneurship leaders are vying for panel or speaking spots at the 2019 South by Southwest conference March 8-17 in Austin, Texas. SXSW recently opened voting…