Startups Stories

Cornell Gorman and Brandon Calloway, GIFT

Effort to grow startup capital for Black-owned businesses: Our work in KC has just begun

A nonprofit that’s raised more than a quarter million dollars in eight months to provide grants to Black small business owners says a diverse range of Kansas City entrepreneurs already has asked for help — and their needs go beyond the obvious. “Normally when people think of Black-owned businesses here in Kansas City, most immediately think…

Andrew Dowis, Pro Athlete

Pickleball pickup: Why KC’s top small business is launching JustPaddles amid sports slowdown

Pro Athlete’s secret to success: going against the grain, Andrew Dowis said.  “We’re known to do things that aren’t the norm,” said Dowis, who serves as the CEO of Pro Athlete. “I think that’s why we pursued JustPaddles [during the COVID-19 pandemic]. We said, ‘Let’s look at this [pandemic] from another angle. This may be…

Davyeon Ross, ShotTracker

Verizon dials into ShotTracker’s 5G potential, leading $11M financing round for veteran startup

One of Kansas City’s most celebrated startups is getting a boost as a new $11 million financing round led by Verizon Ventures and Evertz Technologies Limited takes the court. Funding is expected to support accelerated product deployment across NCAA basketball conferences and expand remote live sports production in the cloud with 5G enabledtech for venues,…

Hunter Browning and Ben Schultz, LaborChart

2021 Startups to Watch: LaborChart constructs high-growth mindset built on value, resiliency

Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2021’s companies. Click here to view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch — presented by sponsors Husch Blackwell and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. LaborChart wants to be among Kansas City’s top-tier tech…

Riddhiman Das, TripleBlind

2021 Startups to Watch: TripleBlind opens historically inaccessible data without violating privacy

Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2021’s companies. Click here to view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch — presented by sponsors Husch Blackwell and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Because of stringent regulatory, competitive and consumer privacy restrictions,…