Kat Hungerford
Managing Editor
Recent Articles by Kat Hungerford
106-years-young Hallmark is evolving with the collaborative economy
The collaborative economy is everywhere. You may have heard it by another name — like the sharing, on-demand, access, peer, freelance or gig economy. You’ve definitely heard of its national headliners Uber and Airbnb, but it also has a local presence with firms like PopBookings, Farmobile and MachineryLink. Since first showing up on radars eight…
How wearables could change America’s pastime and Amazon’s big oops
In this week’s roundup of watercooler talk from the region’s startup hubs, we have the dish on Major League Baseball wearables, Amazon’s flub with expanding the digital divide and Chicago’s STEM workforce issues. Check out more in this series here. Mobile Commerce Press: Major League Baseball gives the nod to wearable technology No, this doesn’t…
Google opens applications for Digital Inclusion Fellowship
Just two months after it unveiled free access to gigabit internet for low-income households in Kansas City, Google Fiber is again ramping up efforts to close the digital divide. In partnership with the Nonprofit Technology Network, Google Fiber has again opened applications for its Digital Inclusion Fellowship, this time looking for 22 bright minds to…
Barbecue tech startup fires up sales in Kansas City
Kansas City is firing up the grills for its favorite season. And no, it isn’t springtime or summertime. It’s barbecue time. This barbecue season, Kansas City food tech startup Tappecue has cooked up a new online platform to complement its existing meat thermometer. The platform — launched last week — is called SessionBook, which allows…
Tech hub at Kansas City Public Library to accelerate entrepreneurship
The Kansas City Public Library is doing its part to promote entrepreneurship with a soon-to-be opened learning and tech hub at the downtown Central Library. The new, 2,100-square-foot space — named OneNorth Technology Center — will boast nearly four dozen computers, a dozen tablets and free access to a variety software. Among many offerings, OneNorth…
The Lean Lab partners with 4.0 Schools to innovate KC education
More than 100 years ago, our education system was designed and built to prepare an early-1900s workforce for the industrial age. Today, children are learning with iPads and Youtube, but the bones of the traditional liberal arts structure remain similar to what our great-grandparents experienced. Local education innovation incubator The Lean Lab hopes to change…
When your tech becomes an expensive paperweight
Here’s this week’s dish on expensive paperweights, company culture and bootstrapping. Check out more in this series here. The Verge: Nest is permanently disabling the Revolv smart home hub In a shot across the bows of any early-adopter interested in startup tech, Nest announced that it’s shutting down Revolv’s IoT smart home hub. Google-owned…
Kansas City Design Week convenes community for creatives
A quick trek through the Crossroads Arts District effortlessly affirms that Kansas City is a hub for creativity. And with Kansas City Design Week, those creative-types have a hub of their own. The KCDW, set for April 7 through 16, brings together a plethora of creative minds to challenge skills, connect designers with business resources…
MIT-modeled mentorship arrives in Kansas City
A new MIT-modeled mentorship program is available to Kansas City entrepreneurs. The Enterprise Center in Johnson County is now accepting applications for its new mentoring program, the Growth Mentoring Service, which adopts the approach of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Venture Mentoring Service. The free, two-year program is welcoming all entrepreneurs who meet its guidelines…
Police offer behind-the-scenes insight on Royals’ World Series parade
It’s November 3, and the Kansas City Royals have just won the World Series after a surprisingly short five games. The last time the Royals brought home a trophy that size was 1985. Fans are ready to party — a crazy, once-every-30-years kind of party. How does a police department ensure the safety of an…