Startups Stories

Her startup needed a user test lab: Access to KC’s World Cup marketplace opened door to rapid, live iteration

CodeAlgo Academy left Union Station with more than just new customers. The edtech startup wrapped its FIFA World Cup-timed residency with a new product roadmap shaped by thousands of conversations throughout the five-week City of Entrepreneurs marketplace.

Benditt Like Balm Box: World Cup isn’t over for this KC entrepreneur; she’s competing for $20K

Liz Benditt hasn’t earned a trophy for surviving cancer six times, but her rebound did inspire the Kansas City area mom to launch Balm Box — thoughtful support boxes for cancer recovery. Now Benditt’s nearly 20-year entrepreneur journey is taking her to Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final. But first, she must take the pitch Friday.

KC startups among business builders tapped for cohort connecting Midwest founders to enterprise leaders

More than 80 companies from across the region vying to earn a slot in the latest NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series, said Amber Dunn, with three Kansas City startups among the 16 successfully completing the competitive process.

Tesseract advances in Department of War’s hunt for tech-in-a-box to control US drone fleets

A Kansas City-launched invention company that has dived deep into robotics and drones for national security applications announced today its selection by the Defense Innovation Unit for a competitive prototype project tied to next-generation autonomous warfighting tech.

AI uniform designer generates custom jerseys in minutes; its real mission: create clothing that doesn’t destroy people 

Some companies use artificial intelligence to move faster, said MJ Mitchell. His Kansas City-based apparel business sees another opportunity: helping teams sport better work — while paying life-lifting wages that fight exploitative sweatshop conditions and restore dignity in textile manufacturing.