Meghan LeVota
Recent Articles by Meghan LeVota
For its KC intro, WeWork plans event series to connect
In efforts to pump up the Kansas City community prior to its launch, WeWork announced KC Connected, an event series at its new Corragain Station coworking space. The first event is May 10 and aims to get local entrepreneurs prepared for the coworking giant’s global grant competition, the Creator Awards. “Our goal is to help…
RideKC builds Uber-like app for Kansas Citians with disabilities
For Kansas City residents with disabilities, it’s difficult to rely on bus schedules to get from place to place — even with paratransit options. Starting May 1, Kansas City residents with disabilities will have access to an on-demand option. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority recently developed the ride-hailing app RideKC Freedom On-Demand, which will start…
PayIt lands partnership with the Sunflower State
Financial tech startup PayIt announced Monday that it will work with the Sunflower State as its innovation partner. The Kansas City-based firm will work with Kansas’ Office of Information Technology Services, offering its web and mobile app that streamlines financial interactions between citizens and government agencies. PayIt CEO John Thomson said he’s excited to partner…
Kauffman Foundation allocates up to $7M for inclusive entrepreneurship effort
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has launched a grant program that hopes to fuel business growth among underrepresented entrepreneurs. As part of the Zero Barriers movement, the Kauffman Foundation is accepting RFPs for Inclusion Open, a grant program that aims to enable champions of underrepresented entrepreneurs to expand their services to topple barriers. “We know…
KCultivator Q&A: Ex-detective Donald Carter talks duck brains, Kendrick Lamar, MLK Jr.
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a new, lighthearted profile series we’re kicking off to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. If you have suggestions on people or have feedback, let us know what you think! For Donald Carter, kindness is serious business. After a decade-long detective career with the Kansas City Police…
After St. Joseph tech firm acquisition, Online Tech expands to KC
Ann Arbor-based Online Tech has acquired a St. Joseph, Mo. cloud firm, paving the way for its expansion into Kansas City. The cloud security company announced Thursday that it purchased St. Joseph-based Echo Cloud, which provides colocation and cloud hosting services. Echo Cloud CEO Bill Severn said he’s pleased to be joining the Online Tech…
Before and after: Tour progress at KC’s massive coworking campus, Westport Commons
Launched in 2015, Plexpod Westport Commons recently opened its doors after completing phase one of the project to revamp a middle school to become a coworking campus. Opened in April, the 160,000 square-foot, formerly vacant Westport Middle School has new life as a huge coworking space that will house more than 500 people and dozens…
Digital Sandbox taps K-State Olathe for office space
The partnership between Digital Sandbox KC and the City of Olathe, Kan. is now a bit stronger. Companies funded out of the Olathe program will now have access to an office and coworking space via the Kansas State University Olathe campus, located at 22201 W. Innovation Dr., Olathe, Kansas. “We’re constantly working to break down…
A coworking studio for artists, InterUrban ArtHouse to open in Overland Park
A new coworking and community space for artists is coming to the Kansas City area. Scheduled to open June 15 in Overland Park, the nearly 10,000 square-foot InterUrban ArtHouse is revamping a post office to become a shared space for 20 to 40 artists. The nonprofit is piggybacking on a popular trend in the metro…
With data pouring in, leaders discuss what’s next for the Smart City
As Kansas City’s Smart City initiative wraps up its first phase, advisory board members on Monday began looking to the future of the public-private project. Since the initiative’s launch in 2016, the City of Kansas City, Mo. has established itself as a leader in smart city infrastructure, KCMO innovation analyst Kate Garman said. But while…