Tag: PlaBook

Techstars KC 2021 demo day

Techstars’ summer finale means closing investment rounds for founders, says KC leader

By Tommy Felts / September 3, 2021

Demo day is as much about looking forward as it is an examination of a startup’s journey through Techstars, Maria Flynn said, teasing new dollar deals ahead for the 2021 Kansas City cohort. “There are already a number of investment commitments coming in, so we are focused on closing the investment rounds so the companies…

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Five KC startups find home, validation in Techstars 2021 class; Up next: new markets

By Tommy Felts / June 8, 2021

Joining the latest class of Techstars Kansas City is expected to help startups like afloat scale what’s worked in Kansas City into other markets, said Sarah-Allen Preston, founder of a KC gift-sending app that connects users’ social circles, communities, and businesses. “Being selected for Techstars is a great validation for afloat’s momentum after a year…

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Roy Scott, Healthy Hip Hop; Ina Montgomery, Urban TEC; Tammy Buckner, WeCode KC; and Edgar Palacios, Latinx Education Collaborative

LEANLAB awards $50K in seed grants to 19 Black and Latinx innovators in education

By Tommy Felts / August 28, 2020

Entrepreneurs should reflect the communities they serve, said Katie Boody — a charge even more critical when innovative work touches Kansas City’s diverse public school systems, she added. “I know firsthand how challenging launching a startup can be for anyone, and especially for founders of color,” said Boody, co-founder and CEO of LEANLAB Education, announcing the…

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Jerren Thornhill, The Guy Experience

Guy Experience founder spins Sandbox cash into opportunity for teen coding students

By Tommy Felts / May 22, 2020

A new opportunity to build key, startup assets for The Guy Experience has Kansas City kids compiling their futures.  “We really believe in giving them a project and believing in them,” Jerren Thornhill, founder of The Guy Experience, said of the startup’s new partnership with We Code KC.  As part of the collaboration, We Code…

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Philip Hickman, Plabook; Nomi Smith, PMI Rate Pro; Max Schanker, SWOT; and Jerren Thornhill, The Guy Experience

Digital Sandbox KC deploys funding to four new startups as uncertainty becomes ‘new normal’

By Tommy Felts / March 31, 2020

Startup leaders’ needs — and the development of their ideas — don’t stop with the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), said Jill Meyer, announcing the latest round of funding selections for Digital Sandbox KC. “We know our entrepreneurs are facing so much uncertainty in this current situation,” said Meyer, senior director of technology ventures at the UMKC…

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