Startups Stories

Jasmine Jones, Cherry Blossom Intimates

Boutique startup specializing in breast prosthesis for cancer survivors catches attention of KC healthcare investor

As the new year rang in 2020, Jasmine Jones envisioned pop-up shops for Cherry Blossom Intimates — an accredited medical facility housed within a lingerie boutique that provides breast cancer survivors with customizable prosthesis.  Eleven months into the unpredictable year, however, Jones innovated the startup into a virtual brand. “I had to ask myself, ‘What would…

Riddhiman Das, TripleBlind

TripleBlind earns strategic investment from Accenture to jump into $500B market faster

A newly announced strategic investment is expected to boost a high-profile, pre-seed Kansas City startup’s bid to help enterprises harness the potential of sensitive data. Terms of the deal between Dublin-based Accenture and TripleBlind were not disclosed Wednesday, but the investment by the global professional services firm marks a significant step forward for TripleBlind as…

Tesseract Ventures interactive T-shirts

Off the rack: Tesseract’s next wearable robot tech — interactive tees with embedded intelligence

It wouldn’t be a Tesseract Ventures original if it lacked hard-wired flair, John Boucard said, showing off the metro’s leading robotics startup’s newest creation — interactive tees.  “What we’ve developed is some embedded intelligence inside the textiles,” Boucard, founder and CEO, said in a recently released video showing four T-shirt styles — which represent the…

Only made in KC: Sandlot Goods revives iconic ‘KC hat’ with 25-step, felt-to-field production

The classic, Baldwin-style KC hat is back in the game — boasting a newly drafted team of makers and a modern twist on its otherwise traditional look, Sandlot Goods announced.  “With most major hat manufacturers moving their production overseas, there is a space and a need for a classic, American-made ball cap,” said Chad Hickman, founder…

Chris Bohannon, Artist KC

Fur-miliar faces: Teacher-turned-entrepreneur captures pet personalities through custom art

Combining her love for art and animals, Chris Bohannon is happily letting pets and passion guide her entrepreneur journey. “I absolutely adore animals,” said Bohannon, the artist behind Artist KC — a Waldo-based small business specializing in custom pet art. “I am a crazy cat lady. I love dogs. I think hedgehogs are super weird…