Corporate Stories
Downtown innovation district: Developers envision 30-story Lightwell project as its own startup hub
It’s possible the Lightwell building’s exterior hasn’t been cleaned since 1977, joked Tim Schaffer as he walked a vine-wrapped rooftop terrace that overlooks downtown Kansas City. “It was totally unintentional, the way it came together,” Schaffer, president of AREA Real Estate Advisors, said of the multi-million-dollar office redevelopment project that’s quickly evolved into what Schaffer…
Hilly KU campus inspires ‘back sweat’ innovation for Startup Weekend KC team
If more entrepreneurs were willing to invest a little sweat alongside virtual strangers, they’d carry an even larger number of cutting-edge startups to success, Tyler Sherman said. “In two days, we have a product that I feel comfortable enough to say we’ll roll with,” Sherman, a participant in the recent Techstars Startup Weekend, said of…
Climbing mountains in the Midwest? Exiting Pipeline leader eyes next big challenge
A desire to move mountains is driving Joni Cobb to move on from Pipeline — her family of 13 years. “I’ve been thinking about it for many years … not because I don’t love what I do. I love what I do [with Pipeline],” said Cobb, president and CEO of the Midwest-based accelerator and entrepreneur…
KCultivator Q&A: Tina Peterson turned a career stop into a platform to accelerate dozens of startups
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. Living in Kansas City couldn’t have been further from Tina Peterson’s mind…
ScaleUP! KC leader Jill Meyer tapped to run Digital Sandbox KC, Whiteboard2Boardroom, KCInvestED initiatives
A newly created role at the UMKC Innovation Center will see leadership for its early-venture and tech initiatives consolidated under the guidance of Jill Meyer. “New businesses, jobs — and good jobs — are key indicators of a strong economy,” said Meyer, the center’s new senior director of technology ventures. “We need to continue to…
