2024 Startups to Watch: Storytailor captivates global audiences with personalized, ‘diversity by default’ storytelling

Editor’s note: Startland News editors selected 10 Kansas City scaling businesses to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. Now in its ninth year, this feature recognizes founders and startups that editors believe will make some of the biggest, most compelling news in the coming 12 months. The following is one of 2024’s companies.…

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10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2024

Meet 10 of the most compelling, emerging startups poised to make bold headlines in 2024. From spacetech to artificial intelligence, beer to golf, blowouts to big rigs, these companies share at least one critical component beyond sheer momentum. They help reflect a new golden era in Kansas City. [pullquote] Jan. 19 event Join Startland News…

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JQ Sirls is the king of his own universe; his new book puts a distinctly Black hero at the center of it

JQ Sirls started popping through the multiverse as a child; escaping through various worlds and alternate realities via stories like “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Peter Pan,” and “The Wizard of Oz” — as well as magical realms he created himself. “Those are my DNA,” said Sirls, a Kansas City-based author, artist and the entrepreneur behind…

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Startup’s next chapter writes itself: AI-generated bedtime story platform launches with language-building upgrades

With an emphasis on diversity and creativity, JQ Sirls’ AI-powered story generator is set to redefine children’s literature while uniting generations, he said.  “I’m really trying to create these magical bonding moments between adults and children. When adults use this technology to create their own story, it makes them feel like a kid again. Then…

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