Startups

Menufy Chow Now

Food delivery giants are eating up restaurant profits; KC startups add survival back to the menu

By Tommy Felts / June 27, 2019

Ordering a meal at the press of a button is convenient for customers, but behind-the-scenes deals with the delivery giants that made on-demand food popular are running some independently owned restaurants out of business, said Vincent Son. “We’re not making a dime,” said Son, owner of China Feast in River Market, which uses five different…

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Ben Edwards, Swappa Local Kansas City

Hometown startup launches Swappa Local in KC, trading tech junk sellers for secure deals

By Tommy Felts / June 25, 2019

A firsthand experience with a mysterious Craigslist seller served as fuel for Kansas City-listed startup Swappa’s latest innovation of the local marketplace: Swappa Local.  “I exchanged money with the seller, we both drove off, leaving the parking lot at the same time,” recalled Ben Edwards, Swappa founder and CEO. “We ended up stopped at the…

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Kirby Montgomery, TheraWe Connect, Pure Pitch Rally

Latest Digital Sandbox startups: Connecting solutions on climate change, supply chain, child therapy and voter education 

By Tommy Felts / June 25, 2019

Four new companies welcomed this week into the fold at Digital Sandbox KC help showcase the ongoing success of the 6-year-old proof-of-concept program, said Jeff Shackelford. “We’ve now provided project development funding for 118 area startups, and this group has raised over $70 million in add-on investment and created nearly 700 new area jobs,” said…

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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…

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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…

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