Profiles

Tim Yu, Pluto Money

New in KC: FinTech founder finds more than flyover fountains amid high-profile KC accelerator

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what’ they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Tim Yu hadn’t given Kansas City much thought — then…

Vinay Kumar, 9Star

New in KC: Austin transplant sees wide-open spaces for growth, startup potential

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what’ they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Hiring a team in Austin, Texas, was “literally impossible,” Vinay…

Austin Wilson, UrbanLeap

New in KC: GovTech startup leader goes remote, relocating for KC costs with West Coast pay

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what’ they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Kansas City’s got two things going for it: a growing…

Ben Hammes, Social Afterlife

Lifting the burden: Social Afterlife oversees social media accounts of lost loved ones

Receiving a birthday notification on a social media platform is a common source of angst for Ben Hammes’ customers, the founder of Social Afterlife said.   “We handle the memorialization or removal of social media for the deceased on behalf of the family,” Hammes said, explaining his startup. “This helps the family with dealing with the…

Doug Tree, Staychill

Hilly KU campus inspires ‘back sweat’ innovation for Startup Weekend KC team

If more entrepreneurs were willing to invest a little sweat alongside virtual strangers, they’d carry an even larger number of cutting-edge startups to success, Tyler Sherman said. “In two days, we have a product that I feel comfortable enough to say we’ll roll with,” Sherman, a participant in the recent Techstars Startup Weekend, said of…