Woman-led

Erin Papworth, Navit

Are venture-seeking women, minority founders at an unfair disadvantage in KC?

Editor’s note: The following is the second in a series of analyses of Startland’s list of Kansas City’s Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies. On stage with a handful of men, Erin Papworth faced a dilemma. The founder of Nav.It — one of the startups to recently complete Fountain City Fintech’s second accelerator cohort — found herself fighting…

Angel Competition Bikinis

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

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 —…

Laura Manivong, Fattyhead Keto Crust

Keto crust on the rise: Fattyhead bakes ingredients for expansion into new distribution deals

Laura Manivong is feeding a hunger for keto diet-friendly pizza crusts that already stretches to freezer aisles across the metro — with stores and distributors salivating for more. “Out of the blue, I just called Sam Paris and Paris Brothers,”  Manivong, founder and CEO of Fattyhead Keto Crust, said of how a recent distribution deal…

Clarence Tan and Edna Martinson, Boddle Learning

Boddle scores $25K AT&T Aspire audience award thanks to tough love on duo’s most difficult pitch

Just because a pitch is tough doesn’t mean it won’t payoff, said Clarence Tan.  “Smiles will take you miles,” Tan, CEO and cofounder of Boddle Learning, said of his and co-founder Edna Martinson’s latest pitch at the AT&T Pitches and Purpose contest in San Francisco — the pair’s most difficult presentation to date, they said…

My Bear Jeff

Fund Me, KC: My Bear Jeff spreads comfort to child trauma survivors, bear to bear

Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like Rachel Cohen with her My Bear Jeff campaign — to share their crowdfunding stories to gain a little help from their supporters. Who are you? Rachel Cohen, Chief Bear Officer…