Tag: PayIt

Rapidly scaling PayIt raises another $90M amid ‘long-overdue transformation’ of govtech 

By Tommy Felts / August 4, 2022

Growth and continued innovation are on the docket as Kansas City-filed PayIt closes a $90 million funding round.  Led by the global firm Macquarie Capital Principal Finance, the capital injection is expected to keep fueling PayIt’s commitment to simplify the way people interact with the public sector in everyday places like the DMV and court…

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Avatar for hire (in a few years): Gamified career platform helps kids explore their future in the workforce

By Tommy Felts / April 26, 2022

It’s a powerful question asked in classrooms every day, Jessica Munoz Valerio said, recalling her own experience with the common prompt and how tapping into and gamifying it could change lives.  “When my daughter was young — as early as 5 years old — she got asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’”she…

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Muenfua Lewis and Justin Ikerionwu, By Design

They built a coffee table magazine to showcase Black creatives; Why this week’s issue will be By Design’s last

By Tommy Felts / December 9, 2021

The sixth and final issue of By Design magazine is a culmination of the work of three Black men who saw a lack of community and representation in Kansas City’s art ecosystem — and decided to create their own, shared Muenfua Lewis and Justin Ikerionwu.  “By Design has always been about going deeper and breaking…

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Ryan Townsend, Hively

Product without a pitch deck: How one startup tech veteran is seeding his new venture with ‘something real’ 

By Tommy Felts / September 16, 2021

Ryan Townsend has worked within some of Kansas City’s most headline-grabbing startups for years, but now he’s taking the lead with his product-driven venture Hively — focusing specifically on bringing a mobile-first solution to event management. “I’ve always been the technology guy,” Townsend said, referencing his time as chief technology officer at such companies as…

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Neal Sharma, DEG; John Thomson, PayIt; and Thalia Cherry, Cherry Co.

Junior Achievement taps startup leaders as Hall of Fame inductees, KC Innovator winner

By Tommy Felts / July 26, 2021

The newest inductees to Junior Achievement of Greater Kansas City’s Business Hall of Fame play an important role in building the metro’s ecosystem of entrepreneurship, creativity, and cooperation, said Leroy McCarty. “Our 2021 Laureates exemplify the collaborative spirit that elevates Kansas City in the world of business, philanthropy, and civic engagement,” said Leroy McCarty, chairman…

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