Kat Hungerford
Managing Editor
Recent Articles by Kat Hungerford
Report: Kansas City is the 8th-worst metro for entrepreneur diversity
It’s a dreary day for Kansas City in terms of successfully supporting a diverse entrepreneurial community. The City of Fountains is far below the national average — and the majority of the most-populated metros — when it comes to minority business ownership, according to the United States Census Bureau. The bureau on Thursday unveiled the…
Kauffman Foundation: KC makes huge ‘startup activity’ improvement
If cities could win “most-improved” awards, Kansas City would be taking home a silver medal this year — at least as far as startup growth goes. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation on Thursday released its “Startup Activity Index” for states and metros. This year, Kansas City climbed a whopping 11 places from 29 to 18,…
Scavenger hunts and happy hours: 5 featured Techweek events
With Techweek Kansas City quickly approaching and expecting more attendees than ever, it’s time to start pulling out calendars to decide events to hit up. Startland picked a few events off the list that stand to wet the whistle of any techie or entrepreneur. The full schedule is here, which Techweek is expected to expand…
Dozens of skyrocketing KC firms break into the Inc. 5000
Kansas City held its own on Inc. Magazine’s annual ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing, private companies. The Wednesday unveiling of the Inc. 5000 featured 44 metro firms — including several area tech firms, like k12itc and Rhythm Engineering. K12itc, which in January made Startland’s 2016 top 10 startups to watch, delivers cloud-based IT services to…
Google Fiber names local duo as digital inclusion leaders
After a successful first year, Google Fiber — in partnership with the Nonprofit Technology Network — has announced its second round of Digital Inclusion Fellows. As part of the program, fellows will create and lead digital literacy efforts in the 11 metro areas with Google Fiber, including Kansas City. Initiatives include assisting adults with high…
A ‘Doodle’ in the rough: Ben Kittrell unearths a global business
What initially began as a desire to help his friends build websites has now blossomed into a startup with a booming international presence for Doodlekit co-founder Ben Kittrell. And it took gaining thousands of users a month to give Kittrell a wake-up call that it was time to refocus on a business he often let…
Kauffman Foundation: National startup activity (finally) on the rise
National startup activity is on the rise, according to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The foundation on Thursday released its most recent report on the state of early-stage business in the U.S., which found that new business creation — based on three equally-weighted factors — rose to an index of 0.38 in 2016. It’s the…
Digital Sandbox reports substantial impact on Kansas City economy
The results are in for Digital Sandbox KC — and they look good. The business incubator on Wednesday unveiled its most recent statistics on the program’s impact in Kansas City. Launched in early 2013, the program provides up to $25,000 in non-dilutive grants to area, early-stage entrepreneurs for specific projects. Since inception about three years…
With a fresh $2M, Athlete Network sets ambitious growth goals
Athlete Network has scored a slam dunk with a $2 million seed round raise. The Lenexa-based firm that created a social network for athletes announced Thursday it had closed its first funding round after bootstrapping for two years, Athlete Network CEO Chris Smith said. The platform aims “to keep athletes competing in life” by enabling…
Tech startup Bungii is your new friend with a truck
“Hey, can I borrow you and your truck this weekend?” It’s a question dreaded by truck owners everywhere, and in April of 2015, it made Ben Jackson regret ever buying his 1999 Ford Ranger. Jackson — and his truck — had just finished an exhausting day helping friends make four hauls across Manhattan, Kan. The…