Startups Stories

Kansas City HR tech startup earns $9M defense contract to help hire skilled workers for nuclear subs

Meeting the U.S. Navy’s aggressive hiring goals requires collaboration across thousands of contractors in all 50 states at a time when America is already experiencing a shortage of skilled workers, said Ray Dick, co-founder of a talent assessment and hiring software platform developed specifically for manufacturing and skilled trades. His Kansas City, Missouri-based company, Piccadilly…

NXTUS launches bracket-style pitch competition for Kansas startups with $20K in prizes

A new, high-energy pitch competition is expected to help startup founders collide with angel investors and innovation leaders from across Kansas — all set against the excitement of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament this spring. The Gamechangers & Champions bracket bash is set for March 21 in downtown Wichita — a one-day bracket-style experience organized…

Founder Problems: Podcast captures the ‘messy middle’ you don’t see on entrepreneurs’ highlight reels

A new Kansas City-based podcast is skipping over the fairy tale stories of founding a startup; instead diving straight into the messy parts, the hosts shared. Founder Problems — hosted by local entrepreneurs Sarah Schumacher, Zach Oshinbanjo, and Lee Zuvanich — is embracing the aspects of starting and running a business that no one wants…

Digital health startup aims to save medical providers time while bringing down cost of AI tech

CarePilot is on a mission to bring AI and automation to smaller medical clinics that don’t always have access to cutting-edge technology, shared founder and CEO Joseph Tutera. The Overland Park-based startup’s ambient AI technology — designed to help those smaller practices operate more efficiently — captures patient-provider interactions in real time, automating administrative tasks…

‘People pay for value’: How a young mom’s plan to hold passion tight drives her baby apparel side hustle

Coming from a family of business owners, Riley Rhoads knew she wanted to pursue entrepreneurship: starting her own business — but with a goal to help others, the founder of Hold Tight Baby said. “When I hear people talk about, ‘Oh, I want to be an entrepreneur; I want to start and own my own…