Meghan LeVota
Recent Articles by Meghan LeVota
What KC’s startup community can learn from Leonardo da Vinci
Why is the sky blue? Modern-day scientists know it’s because of the way the sun interacts with air molecules when sunlight enters the Earth’s atmosphere. In Leonardo da Vinci’s time, however, the answer wasn’t so clear. He questioned assumptions of the day, even those that seemed simple. “It’s that type of always asking ‘Why?’ that…
Events Preview: Attracting Hispanic customers, HR workshop
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Are you hosting a relevant community event? Add it to the KCSourceLink Calendar for increased exposure. Email info@kcsourcelink.com for assistance. Startup Rewind…
10-year-old Leawood inventor in the running for $250K
Kansas City entrepreneurs are known for their Midwestern hospitality, collaborative nature and humility. And each of those traits are expressed by 10-year-old inventor Julia Luetje of Leawood, whose entrepreneurial spirit is now on the national stage as part of a Frito-Lay’s Dreamvention competition. “I invented the Storm Sleeper because I used to be afraid of…
Minddrive fuels youth development through hands-on STEM
Carlos Alonzo, a 15-year-old engineer at Minddrive, was always good at math. In the seventh grade, Alonzo’s teachers gave him the opportunity to skip ahead and take algebra. Although he enjoyed it and did well in the class, he ran into a problem: His school didn’t offer him an advanced class for eighth grade. That one-year…
Video: Healthy workplace culture begins with intention, communication
Editor’s note: This content was sponsored by Mid-Continent Public Library but independently produced by Startland News. Creating a healthy workplace culture must be done early and with intention, said Adrienne Haynes and Dwayne Lewis. To help startups develop a strategic human resource plan, Haynes, managing partner of SEED Law, and Dwayne Lewis, president of Lewis…
From Google to KC, Beth Ellyn McClendon’s advice to startups: Test everything
Don’t fall in love with an idea, Beth Ellyn McClendon said. “Test everything, especially your assumptions, and allow yourself to be persuaded by data,” said McClendon, a seed investor who formerly worked with Google, Android, YouTube, Cisco and Netscape. “Try to remember — tattoo it on your eyelids if you have to – anecdotes are not…
Tech tracks workplace bias: It exists ‘whether you want to face it or not’
During a summer internship with a large Kansas City corporation, college student Louis Byrd was unexpectedly called into the HR office. Although the incident was about 10 years ago today, it has not yet left his mind, Byrd said. “I’ll never forget this,” he said. “HR told me that the people on my team had…
Sandy Kemper-led YEP KC primes teen entrepreneurs for success
If all extraordinary students knew they were exceptional, the world would be a much more entrepreneurial place, said Sandy Kemper. “It’s the future of our city,” said Kemper, co-founder of YEP KC, about young talent. “If we can capture them early, before they go to college, we can create a network that can sustain them…
Kauffman: Going digital allows FastTrac to expand, remove financial barriers
Access to entrepreneurship education should be a fundamental human right, said Michele Markey, Kauffman FastTrac spokesperson. A program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, FastTrac has equipped more than 350,000 aspiring entrepreneurs with business skills they need during its nearly 25 years of service, Markey said. To further expand its reach, the program launched a…
Events Preview: Tech on Tap at Fishtech, KCADC annual meeting
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Are you hosting a relevant community event? Add it to the KCSourceLink Calendar for increased exposure. Email info@kcsourcelink.com for assistance. Tech on…