Woman-led

Davide Rossi, FitBark, pet innovators

Pet innovators unleash market built on experiences, evolving relationships with dogs (Photos)

Meaningful relationships are no longer only between people, said Davide Rossi, discussing the rise of pet innovators and an emerging market built on experiences with four-legged family members. “They key thing is to recognize that the relationship between us and our pets has been changing,” said Rossi, co-founder of FitBark, a Kansas City-based pet tech…

Zach Pettet, Fountain City Fintech; and Erika Klotz, PopBookings, KC Mythbusters

Human capital: KC Mythbusters challenges Kansas City to rethink how it supports startups

A thriving startup ecosystem requires more stakeholders with skin in the game, said Eric Jorgenson. That means increasing direct participation — those actively and directly building or investing in startups that can potentially exit and see a talent and capital explosion that results in even newer startups — and de-emphasizing the need for and dependence…

Back2KC

Tech hub arriving: Back2KC effort drives praise from former Kansas Citian now at Uber

Kansas City expatriate Jack Spangler was pleasantly surprised by his hometown’s increased level of innovation, investment and momentum, the Uber thought leader said, reflecting on a recent return trip with the inaugural Back2KC class. “That type of activity definitely wasn’t going on when I was in Kansas and right out of school,” said Spangler, now…

Little Hoots

Pint-sized perspective: KC’s Little Hoots takes nostalgia-capturing tech to MIT

From the cute and comedic to the whimsical and wise, every parent can pinpoint a Little Hoots moment that relates to their personal adventure in child-rearing, said Lacey Ellis, founder and CEO of the Kansas City-birthed mobile app that recently turned heads at MIT. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, a hoot is…

Liquifi by Venture360

LaunchKC winner bringing cryptocurrency into the investment game with Liquifi

A blockchain-enabled solution from Venture360, called Liquifi, aims to unfreeze startups paralyzed by a lack of access to capital, Rachael Qualls said with excitement. “The main reason more people don’t invest in private companies is there is no way to get money out,” said Qualls, CEO of Venture360. “On average money is tied up for…