Startups Stories

Heather Shelton and Tiffany Watts, Suite Tea

No glass ceiling over the glamp site: Women-led, Black-owned business opens luxury camping season

Kansas Citians no longer need to sacrifice a comfortable bed and running water to spend a night out in nature, said Tiffany Watts and Heather Shelton. Through glamping with Suite Tea, one can have the best of both worlds, the co-founders said.  “Our primary mission is to create an elevated, special experience for our guests….

CaRessa Hutchinson, ModRN Health

Rapid response, rapid scaling: Why the feds prescribed ModRN Health to meet nation’s indefinite demand for holistic virtual care

Kansas City-dispensed ModRN Health is scaling up and scrubbing in — working to help the U.S. government provide critical care on demand.  The virtual primary care solutions startup has entered into a two-year indefinite demand and indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract with the federal government — expanding its offerings beyond primary care and into critical care as…

GiftAMeal, Lion's Choice partnership

Meal donation app comes to KC: How the phone-eats-first foodie photo trend can help fight hunger

People are already taking photos of their food — why not donate to food banks at the same time, Andrew Glantz proposed.  “GiftAMeal is a free mobile app; each time someone takes a photo of their order from one of our partner restaurants, we make a donation to a local food bank to help give…

Adam Roush, Jeff Wigh, and Justin Ferrell, ChessUp

Checkmate: Inventors’ high-tech chess board unlocks worthy opponent for rookies to rooks

An Overland Park-built connected gaming startup is making moves that run the queen’s gambit  — approaching nearly $1 million in crowdfunding and unveiling its mission to make STEM-focused games more approachable. “I think a lot of kids and adults lose interest right away in something like a Rubik’s cube or chess — because it’s difficult,” explained Jeff…

Jy Maze, Maze Freight Solutions

Secret sauce called faith: How being Black, religion and mentors shaped Jy Maze, kept her startup from failing

The COVID-19 pandemic has not been the only hurdle for Maze Freight Solutions, said Jy Maze, and it certainly won’t be the last.  “People think because you’re a CEO of a company that everything is gravy. No one knows about the bloody knees from praying, the begging for money, nobody giving you a shot —…