Tag: Rhonda Dolan

Rhonda Dolan, Udo, Urban Business Growth Initiative alum and 2019 Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year

Newly launched Dare to Venture competition set to award $30K in micro-grants

By Tommy Felts / January 15, 2020

Participants in a series of select entrepreneurship courses this winter will be eligible to win a total of $30,000 in micro-grant awards thanks to the Urban Business Growth Initiative. Funded by the City of Kansas City, Missouri, and administered by the UMKC Innovation Center, the new Dare to Venture Micro-Grant Competition is expected to feature…

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Tin Ho, Lean Start Lab; photo courtesy of the University of Missouri-Kansas City

KCultivator Q&A: Tin Ho skewers failure, beetle larvae on path to building stronger founders

By Tommy Felts / October 19, 2019

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. Startup challenges aren’t limited to products and processes, said Tin Ho.  “My…

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Rhonda Dolan, Udo

Rhonda Dolan, on-demand personal assistant Udo honored as Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year

By Tommy Felts / May 23, 2019

A lunchtime affair at the 2019 Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Awards quickly turned from celebratory mingling to shock and awe for Rhonda Dolan. “For [the Chamber] to recognize my efforts over the last year, which have been pretty intense, means a lot,” said Dolan, founder and CEO of Udo, reflecting on her…

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Kirby Montgomery, TheraWe Connect, Pure Pitch Rally

Pure Pitch Rally passes $1 million in prizes; FastDemocracy and TheraWe lead winners

By Tommy Felts / October 11, 2018

A quick-paced pitch competition Wednesday saw big wins for political tracking startup FastDemocracy and child therapy resource TheraWe Connect, with more than $1 million in prizes awarded between 10 young companies. “Our sponsors felt a funding head-rush like a speeding train — throwing money everywhere,” said Michael Williamson, an IP attorney for Polsinelli, one of…

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Julia Luetje, Storm Sleeper, pre-teen innovator

Pure Pitch surprise twist: Techweek competition adds pre-teen innovator to KC startup lineup

By Tommy Felts / October 8, 2018

In a surprise announcement Monday, organizers of the Pure Pitch Rally announced the third annual pitch competition would feature the Kansas City pre-teen innovator behind the Storm Sleeper. Update: Click here to find out who won big at the Pure Pitch Rally. Julia Luetje — a Barstow School student from Leawood, who at 10 years…

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