InnovaPrep CEO honored as an ‘inspiration’ among Pipeline fellows

November 16, 2020  |  Austin Barnes

COVID-19 couldn’t stop the steady flow of innovation through the Pipeline Entrepreneurs Fellowship. 

The organization crowned a series of winners through its (virtual) Innovator Awards on Thursday — a testament to its commitment to entrepreneurs weathering unprecedented times, said David Alburty. 

“Pipeline has been absolutely mission-critical in my evolution as a scaling CEO,” Alburty, CEO of InnovaPrep, said in response to his participation in the program’s 2019 fellowship and newfound winner of Pipeline’s member inspiration award. The honor recognized his commitment to fostering success in other fellows. 

“Pipeline helped me learn how to make Innovaprep scale. It has been an honor and a blessing to be part of the Pipeline Entrepreneurs family and I plan to continue for life, helping members and new fellows in any way I can,” he said.

Additional prizes saw Michael Fry, co-founder and CEO of Brown Button Estates crowned innovator of the year; Leandro Castro, co-founder and CEO of Omaha-based MultiMechanics, honored with the member growth award; and Mike Bosch, founder and CEO of Baldwin City-based RG Fiber recognized with the member resilience award. 

Alburty credits the program with teaching him valuable revenue-building skills, which, when anchored with his background in STEM, have turned InnovaPrep into a powerhouse on the prairie. 

The startup made key pivots amid the pandemic which has seen it use its technology to search sewers for SARS in a bid to help end the spread of COVID-19. 

Click here to read more about InnovaPrep’s pandemic-experience. 

[adinserter block="4"]

2020 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    KC Tech Council celebrates tax fix in Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ that boosts growing businesses

    By Tommy Felts | July 23, 2025

    A tax fix included in the recently signed “One Big Beautiful Bill” — sprawling legislation meant to overhaul taxes in the United States — marks a major win for Kansas City’s tech and innovation economy, said Kara Lowe. At issue: a long-awaited change to Section 174 research and development expensing that now allows businesses to…

    Thank a community leader; Nominate them to win $50,000

    By Tommy Felts | July 23, 2025

    Editor’s note: The following is a paid message from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, a fourth-generation Kansas Citian, is chief impact and strategy officer for the Kauffman Foundation. [divide] In communities around the country, people are doing uncommon things in the most common places — parks, food pantries, classrooms, soccer fields, and…

    Crossroads distillery asks KC to make a toast in honor of founder lost in weekend motorcycle wreck

    By Tommy Felts | July 22, 2025

    Update: A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to support the family of the late Jeff Evans. Click here to learn more or to donate.  [divide] With doors temporarily closed early this week (July 21-22) to mourn the loss of co-founder Jeff Evans, the team behind Mean Mule Distilling is asking its community to “grieve with…

    KC govtech startup: You shouldn’t have to know how local government works to get answers (or make impact)

    By Tommy Felts | July 22, 2025

    Even a ripple can make waves, said Mitch Mabrey, an exited cleantech founder whose new cause finds him on a mission to ensure that the voices of residents from all walks of life are more broadly heard — and answered — by their government officials. Resonus, his Kansas City-based political information platform is designed to…