Profiles

OHUB finalists: Christopher Jones, Matchrite Care; Shelley Cooper, Diversity Telehealth; Philip Vanderstraeten, Erkios Systems; Philip Hickman, PlaBook; Leonard Frye, FilmDove; and Clarence Tan, Boddle Learning

OHUB is sending five startups to SXSW, each infused with $50K; Meet the seven KC finalists

By Tommy Felts / December 27, 2019

Iron sharpens iron, said Rodney Sampson, announcing 12 finalists — seven from Kansas City — for $250,000 in investments and a coveted demo day stage at SXSW in March. Each startup is rich with founders who have invested the time and energy to earn a payout from the ecosystem, said Sampson, founder of the Opportunity…

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Matt Leadbetter, N-GAGE GRIPS

N-GAGE founder gets a grip on weight-lifting pain points (without giving up his day job)

By Tommy Felts / December 20, 2019

N-GAGE GRIPS will have found success as a startup when Matt Leadbetter’s oldest son thinks he’s cool. “I remember thinking, ‘I have this thing in my head, I just need to make it,’ and I was kinda thinking at the time, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if when my little boy gets older, he’s impressed with…

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Angel Competition Bikinis

Sisters flex startup strength with well-toned, high-performance Angel Competition Bikinis

By Tommy Felts / December 19, 2019

Bold women are a force to be reckoned with, declared Karah Jones, and they should never feel the need to hide who they are.  “Sometimes in this world it’s frowned upon for a female to be confident,” Jones, co-founder and CEO of Angel Competition Bikinis, said of her motivations for launching the Lenexa company —…

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Josh Oeding, Accelerate Venture Partners

Startup Road Trip: Venture, innovation scenes rapidly growing in Kansas City’s ‘backyard’

By Tommy Felts / December 19, 2019

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. WICHITA…

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Brody Dorland and Brock Stechman, DivvyHQ

DivvyHQ proves ‘unmatched in market’ with top award now spanning four consecutive wins

By Tommy Felts / December 19, 2019

Voted the No. 1 content marketing tool for the fourth straight year, DivvyHQ plans to capitalize on its momentum to deliver new features and functionality in 2020, said co-founders Brock Stechman and Brody Dorland.  “When we won [the honor] the first year, obviously it was a huge surprise. We were so pumped. But then we…

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