Startups

Obe, Inc., Plug and Play Topeka

New accelerator aims to capitalize on pet health, agtech hub with international cohort

By Tommy Felts / April 7, 2021

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. TOPEKA…

Read More >
Sunti Wathanacharoen, Pulmonaer Analytics

Pulmonaer Analytics joins Spencer Fane Startup Lab to advance digital asthma solution

By Tommy Felts / April 7, 2021

A leading Kansas City health tech startup is the latest company to join Spencer Fane’s three-month startup lab aimed at addressing the young venture’s legal needs as it develops a digital platform and app to improve asthma outcomes. “I deal with adult asthma every day of my life,” said Sunti Wathanacharoen, founder of Pulmonaer Analytics.…

Read More >
Bo Fishback, Zaarly

Zaarly to cease operations Friday ‘after 10 years of grinding’ as a top KC startup

By Tommy Felts / April 6, 2021

Leaders at a Prairie Village tech startup announced Monday their decade-long mission to fix a broken piece of the economy would come to a close later this week. Zaarly — an online marketplace to hire accountable home service providers — is expected to cease operations Friday, according to a message from Bo Fishback, co-founder and…

Read More >

Meet the charcuterie board of dairy, agtech startups joining the latest DFA accelerator

By Tommy Felts / April 6, 2021

A returning, Kansas City-based accelerator program focused on innovative dairy products and emerging agtech will be a living, breathing lab for seven newly selected companies, said Doug Dresslaer. Facial recognition software for cows, nanotechnologies to help treat mastitis and a single-serve, snack-sized cheese bar are among the startups now convening virtually as part of the…

Read More >
Godfrey Riddle, Civic Saint; photo by Fawn Lies

Civic Saint: How life-threatening setbacks inspired company built on universal humanity, survival

By Tommy Felts / April 2, 2021

Loss is stitched throughout much of Godfrey Riddle’s human story, he said. But its threads don’t define him — and they won’t unravel his mission to bring opportunity to Kansas Citians of every shade, size, and sexuality.  “Being a Black, gay man … I’ve lived through countless experiences of marginalization,” Riddle said, looking back on his…

Read More >