Guest Authors Stories

(S)heStarts: Do tech startups need a techie founder?

Welcome to our new series exploring news and views on men, women, start-ups and the entrepreneurial experience.     Do tech startups need a techie founder? Yes. No. Maybe? Three Kansas City startup founders provided three perspectives on the technical expertise question. While their backgrounds and development paths differ, they all agree that end users…

What the world champion Royals can teach us about investing

“The future ain’t what it used to be” – Yogi Berra, New York Yankee legend Like many kids, I learned from an early age that a game can teach us more about life than most realize. Baseball is adversity. Baseball is success by way of failure. Baseball is discipline and perseverance. Sounds a lot like…

The WTF Series: Artificial Intelligence

On a daily basis, Ben Kittrell translates the jargon-filled world of technology for clients of his tech consultancy. The Words that Frustrate (WTF) series aims to offer readers some clarity in an industry dominated by techies’ confusing argot. Last week I went to my favorite event of the year, Compute Midwest. The last four years…

Lager: Why I quit my cushy job for a broke startup

It’s 4:03 a.m. My bedroom is still dark and the late August heat leaves me little need for a blanket. I lay here wide-awake, arms crossed behind my head on a pillow that’s too thin, while the rest of the world sleeps in deep peacefulness. I hear nothing, save for the wind occasionally singing outside…

(S)heStarts: How demographics affect views of your pitch

Welcome to our new series exploring news and views on men, women, start-ups and the entrepreneurial experience. In July of 2015, Startland News collaborated with WhiteSpace Consulting to conduct a whiteboard conversation with women entrepreneurs in the Kansas City region. Women entrepreneurs shared their perceptions about launching and leading companies, and identified topics for ongoing…