News Stories

They told him to build it in California; this agtech founder came back to Kansas instead

When it came time to plant Trevor McKeeman’s agtech startup, he refused to farm the groundbreaking company’s future out to the coasts — specifically California where potential funders said he could find “money and talent.” “I was actually in Boston at the time,” explained McKeeman, founder and CEO of HitchPin, a digital marketplace for farmers…

Stream smarter, safer: Former Cisco engineer aims to replace Zoom as top video conferencing platform

Kenneth Yancy has been live streaming since the early 2000s — a time when not many were interested in the technology, he said. But 20 years later, a virtual-hybrid work model featuring video conferencing is the norm.  “In 2001, I was working for Cisco as an engineer. My team and I built the first live…

‘Fan favorite’ among KC startups joining Wichita cohort; the prize: a playbook for reaching corporate customers

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. WICHITA…

None More Lonesome: Creative’s expression takes new form as ‘street art meets pop art meets tattoo flash’

Growing up in Olathe, Brett Crawford doesn’t really remember many places for local artists to put their work on display, he said. But times have changed and the artist and musician, who moved back to the Kansas City area during the pandemic, will see his None More Lonesome collection of paintings on display at Mean…

Rapidly scaling PayIt raises another $90M amid ‘long-overdue transformation’ of govtech 

Growth and continued innovation are on the docket as Kansas City-filed PayIt closes a $90 million funding round.  Led by the global firm Macquarie Capital Principal Finance, the capital injection is expected to keep fueling PayIt’s commitment to simplify the way people interact with the public sector in everyday places like the DMV and court…