Meghan LeVota
Recent Articles by Meghan LeVota
Darcy Howe’s hustle grows, guides KCRise Fund in first year
Kansas City may not realize its good fortune with the tenacious manager of a relatively new fund that’s investing in early-stage firms. Self-described as a builder that’s competitive and impatient, Darcy Howe is weaving her years of determined leadership into the KCRise Fund, which just wrapped up its first year with $14 million in the…
Deadlines approach for BetaBlox, EY awards; LaunchKC opening soon
Kansas City abounds with growth opportunities for startups and entrepreneurs — sometimes the trick is just finding them. To that end, here are a variety of opportunities for founders and supporters of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem whose deadlines are approaching. Thanks to our friends at KCSourceLink for aggregating these opportunities! BetaBlox Deadline: March 1 Kansas City-based accelerator…
Survivor, innovator Kim Gandy rewards patients for sticking to treatments
In her 20 years working as a transplantation clinician, Kim Gandy found it baffling that a seemingly simple problem had such a difficult time finding a solution. Transplant patients consistently struggled to adhere to their health regimens, resulting not only in significant costs for care providers but also death. “We were literally losing patients,” Gandy…
Kansas City to host national student entrepreneur competition
Kansas City will soon host a national competition for student entrepreneurs. Set for March 6 and 7 at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards will bring its top 25 national finalists to Kansas City. To qualify, student entrepreneurs must be the primary operator of a business less than six years old…
Area experts dive into uncertainty and hope for immigrant entrepreneurship
Now more than ever, it’s important for the community to come together to gain new perspectives. That notion was a driving force behind the February Innovation Exchange in which Startland News dove into the subject of immigration and entrepreneurship. Hosted in partnership with Think Big, the event welcomed a researcher and a policy expert from…
Listen: KC immigrant entrepreneurs share their stories
In light of recent news, Startland News focused this month’s Innovation Exchange on the intersection of immigration and entrepreneurship. U.S. immigration policy has a profound impact not only on society but also the nation’s entrepreneurial vibrancy, which prompted a discussion including a researcher and policy expert, a local immigration attorney and pair of immigrant entrepreneurs….
MusicSpoke changes the tune of the sheet music industry
No matter your level of musical expertise, it’s no doubt you’ve touched a piece of sheet music — whether at church, in school or just for fun. “Music touches everybody’s lives,” said Jennifer Rosenblatt, co-founder of MusicSpoke. “If you didn’t grow up singing or playing an instrument, you have children who did or nieces and nephews. You…
Events Preview: LaunchCode, KC Saas
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. Innovation Exchange When: Feb. 21, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Where: Think Big Coworking Rarely are all the facts of breaking news included…
Mid-America Angels invests $287K in medical firm Voxello
The Kansas City-based Mid-America Angels investment group announced that it’s backing an Iowa-based medical device company. The regional network of angel investors announced Monday that it invested $287,000 into Voxello. The company created the “noddle,” which allows hospitalized patients to communicate nonverbally. The device detects voluntary gestures — such as a tongue click, eye blink or…
CNN features Kansas City and St. Louis’ resilient growth
Kansas Citians are already familiar with the perks of calling the metro home — the friendly people, innovative culture and affordability to name a few. The City of Fountains, as well as its neighbor to the east, St. Louis, received validation of those facts Thursday via a lengthy CNN feature on their “bounce back” from the…