Startland News Staff

Recent Articles by Startland News Staff

Travis Kelce and Operation Breakthrough student outside the future Ignition Lab, powered by Eighty-Seven & Running

Sneak peek: See the vision for Travis Kelce’s ‘safe haven’ for Operation Breakthrough teens

When Operation Breakthrough’s new Ignition Lab opens in the fall, the former muffler shop on Troost Avenue is expected to offer hands-on, practical training to young people who have aged out of the early education center’s MakerCity program. Media members were offered a first look at plans for the space — powered by Chiefs Super…

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Grant Burcham Ryan Tillman, CyTek Corporation

Former Mobank CEO, Cerner leader acquire, join longstanding KC tech company

A dramatic change at a Kansas City a computer IT support and managed services firm is expected to bring expanded vision and executive direction with the addition of two top tech leaders who also now own the business, the company announced Tuesday. CyTek Corporation, founded in 1998, has been acquired by former Mobank CEO Grant…

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KCMO mask order ends noon Friday; Mayor says CDC update makes rules impossible for businesses to follow

Just hours after the CDC issued new guidelines Thursday saying fully vaccinated Americans can stop wearing masks indoors and outdoors, Kansas City’s mayor announced an end to remaining KCMO mask rules — effective noon Friday — saying he won’t force businesses to face continued harassment for enforcing restrictions amid conflicting, unclear guidance. “The challenge for…

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World War II veteran experiencing a virtual Honor Flight using Healium and T-Mobile technologies

Healium partners with T-Mobile, transporting veterans to DC memorials via virtual Honor Flight

Veterans living in rural America can experience the sights and sounds of the nation’s war memorials in Washington D.C. thanks to a Kansas City-area startup’s virtual reality technology, powered by T‑Mobile 5G. “We are losing our World War II veterans at a rate of hundreds a day, and sadly many may not live long enough…

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Returning to the workplace? You might be surprised how much on your computer is worth stealing

Editor’s note: The following commentary, sponsored by NetStandard, is the first in a two-part series exploring information security. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Scott Minneman is the information security manager for NetStandard, and oversees internal security and SOC 2 compliance. If you walk away from your desk, even for a…

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Tommy Felts, Channa Steinmetz, and Austin Barnes, Startland News

Startland News earns nine awards with first entry into Kansas journalism contest

Startland News celebrated its sixth birthday this week with news of its own — announcing nine awards from the Kansas Press Association for reporting and photography in 2020. The honors include four first-place wins for Startland News from among a crop of competitors that range from the Kansas City Business Journal, Kansas City Star, Topeka Capital-Journal…

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Karen Fenaroli, Pure Pitch Rally 2020

Newly honored as a ‘world-changing idea,’ Pure Pitch Rally opens 2021 contest applications

A premier Kansas City pitch competition that awards emerging tech founders on-the-spot cash funding, along with a series of business bootcamp experiences, was honored this week among Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas. The winners include businesses, policies, projects and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving…

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Missouri Chamber

Missouri House advances pro-entrepreneur bill that would lower taxes on self-starters

A vision to make Missouri more entrepreneur-friendly moved closer to reality Monday as state legislators passed a first-in-the-nation Right To Start Act, advancing the bill to the Senate on an 85-69 vote. “We made progress today to make Missouri a state that welcomes risk takers, the crazy ones, who want to build the next generation…

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John Blake, CFO, and Luke Anear, CEO, SafetyCulture

SafetyCulture rides deeper into unicorn club with $73M round, reaching $1.6B valuation

The evolution from a checklist app into an operations platform for working teams is paying off for SafetyCulture, which Monday announced a massive funding round from the East Coast — pushing the unicorn company even deeper into the realm of startups valued at more than a billion dollars. Led by New York-based Insight Partners, the…

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Scott Hansen, LeadSigma

Founded to sell: Emerging KC tech firm led by startup veterans announces $725K funding round

A Kansas City startup’s initial funding round is expected to help small businesses close more deals, faster, said Scott Hansen. LeadSigma, a powerful and easy-to-use sales engagement platform, has raised a $725,000 family and friends round, Hansen, co-founder of LeadSigma, announced Friday. The round included prominent opinion leaders and agency owners in targeted SMB verticals,…

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