Startups Stories

Kirby Montgomery, TheraWe Connect, Pure Pitch Rally

Latest Digital Sandbox startups: Connecting solutions on climate change, supply chain, child therapy and voter education 

Four new companies welcomed this week into the fold at Digital Sandbox KC help showcase the ongoing success of the 6-year-old proof-of-concept program, said Jeff Shackelford. “We’ve now provided project development funding for 118 area startups, and this group has raised over $70 million in add-on investment and created nearly 700 new area jobs,” said…

Jy Maze, Maze Freight Solutions

Q&A: Founder Jy Maze on the industry that runs the world (and delivers the toilet paper)

Everything has to ship, said Jy Maze. From the microphone in her hand to the stool where she sat to the shoes on the Maze Freight Solutions founder’s feet, it all comes with mileage and a cost, she said. Her woman-owned, Overland Park-based, third-party freight logistics startup itself was packed in 2017 when Maze decided…

David Biga, Particle Space, left, Intercon USA 2019

AI smart sensor startup Particle Space earns ‘Top 50 Tech Companies’ distinction

A virtually hardware-free property and building management platform from Particle Space earned the Kansas City-based startup high honors this month at Intercon in Las Vegas. “The future is bright, all buildings will communicate every interworking detail,” said David Biga, founder of Particle Space, which uses artificial intelligence and smart sensors for its residential and commercial…

Claudia and Carolina Recchi, EdSights

Why are college students dropping out? EdSights targets higher ed retention rates

Only 56 percent of students who began college in 2012 actually graduated within the next six years, said startup founders Claudia Recchi and Carolina Recchi. The sisters’ own struggles as first-generation U.S. college students reinforced the challenge posed by such statistics, they said, prompting them to found EdSights, a startup using artificial intelligence to collect…

Friendmedia moving San Fran HQ to Kansas City; planning $1.5M funding round for hiring

San Francisco-based tech firm Friendmedia is expected to relocate its headquarters to Kansas City in 2020 amidst $1.5 million funding round, said Nick Magruder. “Our goal is to take advantage of all the great things that Kansas City brings to the table with all the great people, the low cost of living and everything that…