Profiles
Joni Cobb and Pipeline took ‘a leap of faith’ that’s paying off
In 2006, Joni Cobb was busy coaxing Kansas business executives to apply for a program honing their leadership skills. Then a state-subsidized program, Pipeline would cultivate promising entrepreneurs that would tangentially grow the Sunflower State’s economy with their firms. Extolled as rigorous, the Pipeline sales pitch hit snags with its intensiveness and novelty. Skeptical entrepreneurs…
Big Bang leverages smart city success, LaunchKC momentum
Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently produced by Startland News. As Kansas City becomes a hotbed for smart city tech, one local startup is providing a spine for streamlined communication among the devices cities will leverage. Kansas City-based Big Bang’s Internet of Things software aims to work as the “central nervous…
UK firm lured by Kansas City’s charm, opportunity
Born in South Africa and a resident of Great Britain for over a decade, Fred Hefer, CEO of Pomerol Partners, never would have guessed he’d be moving his family to Kansas City. “Really? This place in the middle of America?” Hefer said. “With the tornados and the story about Dorothy?” Hefer said his wife and…
‘5 things on my desk’ with ShotTracker co-founder Davyeon Ross
Startland News and the Kansas City Star have partnered to publish content as part of the Star’s new special section, “Spirit.” This story was originally published in the Star’s Sept. 18 Sunday edition. Kansas City doesn’t need an NBA team for it to stand out in the world of basketball. Working with partners like Golden…
Look into serial entrepreneur Jeff Hoffman’s toolkit of inspiration
“What if you applied the skills of entrepreneurship to everything that you do?” serial entrepreneur Jeff Hoffman asked a crowd at Union Station on Thursday. As Hoffman took the stage as Techweek Kansas City’s keynote speaker, he did just that. Applying the skill of “adaptability,” he decided to nix his slide deck and improvise. A…
