Leah Wankum
Recent Articles by Leah Wankum
The Neighbrohood aims to build an entrepreneur network for KC men, leader says
Sunday’s debut public event from The Neighbrohood is about generating fellowship and conversation among young professionals, entrepreneurs and any other men working to make Kansas City thrive, Patrick Green said. “Our vision in that is to see Neighbrohood as a place for brotherhood, and our mission is to be change agents that strengthen men through…
KC Shave Company cuts its own niche with blades of disruption
A well-groomed man needn’t choose merely between cheap, breakable, throwaway razor blades and high-end, pricey shaving kits, said Mike Knopke, co-founder of KC Shave Company. On their way to building “a shaving empire,” Knopke and co-founder Joe Henderson hope to fill the gap amid a landscape of disposable and over-priced options, they said. A current…
Engineering KC: Global talent builds success for Taliaferro & Browne
Editor’s note: The following feature on Taliaferro & Browne is part of a three-part series on the potential for immigrant or foreign-born entrepreneurs to help reshape Kansas City’s startup ecosystem. Read more about how a Kansas senator’s Startup Act legislation could reduce barriers here. Check out a warning from a leading Kansas City tech CEO…
App snaps pics of items to ease moving process, MovinHouz founders say
What started as a couple of bad moving experiences developed into a mobile app to simplify the relocation process, said MovinHouz co-founders. Dominic Klobe and Chris Perrin, co-founders of Olathe-based MovinHouz, a tech startup incubated at Digital Sandbox KC, are building an app that connects moving companies to customers in need of their services, Klobe…
NBA hires Alight Analytics to collect, analyze data from fans’ social engagement
The volume of data created within a professional sports team’s fan base is enormous, said Matt Hertig, chief executive officer of Alight Analytics. “Being able to see all of that data together across all of the popular social channels — from Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat — in one place and really understand the correlation…
Christian entrepreneur hopes to convert believers to veganism
Kris Taylor’s inspiration for a vegan, Christian lifestyle traces back to the first book of the Bible, she said. Modern people eat meat because of original sin and the fall of man, as described in Genesis, Taylor said. “But if you go back to the creation story in Genesis, every seed-bearing plant was given to…
Caffeine tours give ‘pub crawl’ experience for lovers of coffee, tea and chocolate
Escaping corporate life in New York, Jason Burton moved to Kansas City in 2004 and began pouring his work into a new passion. As a marketer for Kansas City’s Roasterie, Burton soon recognized coffee and tea lacked the social component of events and festivals that are more associated with specialty beverages like beer and wine….
KC native builds jumpsuits for all occasions — butt flap included
Party and potty in one easy piece. Literally. That’s the benefit of wearing a jumpsuit with a butt flap included: Users avoid the hassle of removing half the outfit to use the restroom, said Brittany Weltner. The Kansas City native just launched a crowdfunding campaign for her new business, Jomper, to build more functional jumpsuits…
Launch It Successfully hopes to reduce early stage frustration, struggle for startups
A new accelerator program produced by key leaders of software development firm Illumisoft is helping innovators start their businesses by “cutting through the nonsense,” said Tyler Prince. “We want to help entrepreneurs succeed,” he said. “I think we live in an age when change happens so rapidly.” Launch It Successfully’s goal is to assist early…
Is government helping startups enough? Founders feel isolated, Kauffman survey finds
Early stage entrepreneurs struggle with the technical steps to getting started, a new Kauffman survey found, and founders don’t believe the government is helping them. The prevailing sentiment that entrepreneurs view themselves as isolated from assistance is understandable, said Melissa Roberts, vice president of strategy and economic development at the Enterprise Center in Johnson County….