Profiles

Jy Maze, Maze Freight Solutions

Q&A: Founder Jy Maze on the industry that runs the world (and delivers the toilet paper)

By Tommy Felts / June 24, 2019

Everything has to ship, said Jy Maze. From the microphone in her hand to the stool where she sat to the shoes on the Maze Freight Solutions founder’s feet, it all comes with mileage and a cost, she said. Her woman-owned, Overland Park-based, third-party freight logistics startup itself was packed in 2017 when Maze decided…

Read More >
David Biga, Particle Space, left, Intercon USA 2019

AI smart sensor startup Particle Space earns ‘Top 50 Tech Companies’ distinction

By Tommy Felts / June 24, 2019

A virtually hardware-free property and building management platform from Particle Space earned the Kansas City-based startup high honors this month at Intercon in Las Vegas. “The future is bright, all buildings will communicate every interworking detail,” said David Biga, founder of Particle Space, which uses artificial intelligence and smart sensors for its residential and commercial…

Read More >
Claudia and Carolina Recchi, EdSights

Why are college students dropping out? EdSights targets higher ed retention rates

By Tommy Felts / June 21, 2019

Only 56 percent of students who began college in 2012 actually graduated within the next six years, said startup founders Claudia Recchi and Carolina Recchi. The sisters’ own struggles as first-generation U.S. college students reinforced the challenge posed by such statistics, they said, prompting them to found EdSights, a startup using artificial intelligence to collect…

Read More >

Friendmedia moving San Fran HQ to Kansas City; planning $1.5M funding round for hiring

By Tommy Felts / June 20, 2019

San Francisco-based tech firm Friendmedia is expected to relocate its headquarters to Kansas City in 2020 amidst $1.5 million funding round, said Nick Magruder. “Our goal is to take advantage of all the great things that Kansas City brings to the table with all the great people, the low cost of living and everything that…

Read More >
Ire Cherry, Very Cherry Bakery

Cherry on top: 9-year-old baking entrepreneur cuts check to pay off KC students’ negative lunch balances

By Tommy Felts / June 19, 2019

Baking is the perfect recipe for spreading joy — owning a small business should be too, said 9-year-old Ire Cherry, recalling the moment she stood before administrators at University Academy in Kansas City, holding a check wider than she is tall. “My mom and her sister were talking about people in Virginia who couldn’t pay their…

Read More >