Tag: Startup Road Trip

Former college startup founders reunite for brunch concept: Why they jumped at this franchise twist

By Tommy Felts / April 25, 2024

WICHITA, Kansas — Jacob O’Connor and Jon Peterson — two former Wichita State students turned entrepreneurs — are teaming up once again, this time for brunch, they shared. The high school friends and co-founders of 618 Ventures and Player Card are partnering with a mentor to bring the upscale, Orlando-based brunch concept Another Broken Egg…

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KU spinout earns $180K+ in prizes at business plan competition; students going full-time with startup

By Tommy Felts / April 11, 2024

LAWRENCE, Kansas — A sustainable engineering startup that emerged from the University of Kansas took fifth place in a recent business competition at Rice University in Houston, earning more than $180,000 in prizes and an opportunity to make history for the founders’ alma mater. Icorium Engineering, the first-ever team from Kansas to compete in the…

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Quick studies: These Kansans just left their college careers for $500K (and a crash course in startups)

By Tommy Felts / March 12, 2024

When a friend encouraged Aditya Joshi and Varun Verma to apply for the Y Combinator accelerator program, the Wichita natives didn’t expect to land an interview, they shared — much less get accepted. “Truly, all we had was this idea and a couple of months under our belt of just talking to different folks,” Joshi…

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KU Innovation Park names new CEO as business incubator ramps up regional eco devo efforts

By Tommy Felts / March 8, 2024

LAWRENCE — A longtime financial executive at the KU Innovation Park who successfully led funding efforts for the nonprofit economic development organization’s sprawling campus has been officially named its CEO. Adam Courtney most recently served as CFO for the Lawrence-based KU Innovation Park before being named interim CEO in September 2023 after the passing of the…

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Cornstalks to cardboard: This KS company is turning farmers’ trash into sustainable fiber packaging

By Tommy Felts / February 16, 2024

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro.  WILLIAMSBURG, Kansas — One small town just south of I-35 in Franklin County — population 390 — soon will become home to a new world headquarters, said Mark Majors. Williamsburg’s…

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