Rashi Shrivastava

reporter

Recent Articles by Rashi Shrivastava

Sarah Walsh, Tigersheep Friends

Watch: Tigersheep Friends creators build a ferociously off-beat, under-the-radar KC brand

From three-eyed leopards to strawberry cream giraffes, the creative minds behind Tigersheep Friends love illustrating off-beat versions of animals to keep their artistic passions alive, said Sarah Walsh.  When the husband-and-wife duo started the company in 2011, they were looking for an alternate creative outlet, said Sarah Walsh, co-founder of the online product line. Click…

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Deanna Munoz, Latino Arts Foundation

‘Queer Eye’ hero paints an ‘inner circle’ for young Latino artists craving a creative outlet

Deanna Munoz’s childhood dream to become an artist — once faded and long forgotten — was revived years later by her 6-year-old daughter, said Munoz, founder of the Latino Arts Foundation.   “I wanted to be a graphic designer, but I kind of got caught up in a lot of different things when I was young…

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Tammie Wahaus, ELIAS Animal Health

Biotech firms: Health innovation can’t grow in KC with wet lab space in such short supply

ELIAS Animal Health is advancing a technology that can fundamentally change how cancer is treated in both humans and animals, said CEO Tammie Wahaus, yet finding lab space in the metro has been one of the biotech startup’s biggest tests.   “We’re doing a lot of cell culture work, which requires wet lab space, but there…

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Scott Ford, Pepper

You’ll soon have 20+ smart devices in your home; How many will steal your data? 

Consumers of smart technology need to be wary of most of the lesser-known brands in retail stores, said Scott Ford. “Most likely they’re using a platform architecture that sits on a foreign market, sending your data to who knows where, without the protections that are common in the U.S,” said Ford, CEO of Pepper IoT,…

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Graham Dodge, Sickweather patent

Sickweather spent 8 years and $100K+ to obtain a patent; Is IP protection worth the cost?

Graham Dodge wanted to check a box for investors seeking security for his crowdsourced sickness forecasting startup Sickweather, he said. Obtaining a patent for the technology, however, proved a tougher task to chart.  “We just wanted to protect ourselves to build value in the company,” said Dodge, CEO of Sickweather, as well as Garnish Health,…

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Keystone Kevin McGinnis

KCultivator Q&A: Kevin McGinnis talks Keystone innovation, best steaks in KC, the word he hates most

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. Years before his tenure as a Sprint executive-turned-startup leader, Kevin McGinnis was…

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Glen Dakan, Liquify Group, Prestio

US veterans-turned-founders find natural transition, freedom in life as entrepreneurs

Military service offers parallels to entrepreneurships — whether engaged in battle or a boardroom, said Andrew Belt.  “One of the things that has always helped me in operating my business is my ability to analyze the environment and be vigilant,” said Belt, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and serial entrepreneur behind Lenexa-based property services firm…

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Kelly Sievers, Women’s Capital Connection

Q&A: Startup life isn’t all risk-taking and sexy, big-name investors, Kelly Sievers says

Investing doesn’t just hinge a dollar amount, said Kelly Sievers. “It’s also about finding the right kind of funding for your business,” the Women’s Capital Connection managing director told 26 small business owners at a recent Kansas City SCORE mentoring event.  Sievers, an entrepreneurial advisor for the Women’s Business Center, has owned, operated and sold…

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Menufy Chow Now

Food delivery giants are eating up restaurant profits; KC startups add survival back to the menu

Ordering a meal at the press of a button is convenient for customers, but behind-the-scenes deals with the delivery giants that made on-demand food popular are running some independently owned restaurants out of business, said Vincent Son. “We’re not making a dime,” said Son, owner of China Feast in River Market, which uses five different…

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Jy Maze, Maze Freight Solutions

Q&A: Founder Jy Maze on the industry that runs the world (and delivers the toilet paper)

Everything has to ship, said Jy Maze. From the microphone in her hand to the stool where she sat to the shoes on the Maze Freight Solutions founder’s feet, it all comes with mileage and a cost, she said. Her woman-owned, Overland Park-based, third-party freight logistics startup itself was packed in 2017 when Maze decided…

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