Startups Stories

Report: Black women’s impact overlooked in KC startup community and beyond

Raise a hand if you know that black women have created more than 1 million jobs, Dell Gines challenged. A statistics-based question –– frequently answered with an expected, yet glacial silence ––  acknowledges an unprecedented phenomenon in both the small business community and within the confines of the often-exclusive startup ecosystem, said Gines, Federal Reserve…

Top VC-Backed Companies celebration

‘Class reunion’ collides with newer generation at Top VC-Backed Companies celebration (Photos)

It was a night of old school collisions, said Adam Arredondo, bringing together founders, executives, investors and a curated group of younger startup leaders for Startland’s Top VC-Backed Companies celebration. “The energy in the room was palpable. Many people said it felt like a class reunion, which in a way it was,” added Arredondo, CEO…

HerSpace

Plexpod offers sneak peek at new women-centric Herspace concept (Photos)

Herspace — a freshly renovated wing at Plexpod Westport Commons, part of the KC-based Plexpod coworking community — is designed for women, said Gerald Smith, and it’s a long time coming. “This is front and center. It isn’t tucked away in some far away corner of an upper floor,” said Smith, noting 90 percent of…

EDZ Systems

Former DST execs launch EDZ Systems tool to centralize law office data

A quartet of former DST Systems executives who went on to launch EDZ Systems are hoping to streamline law offices’ operations with the help of their new software. The Overland Park-based startup recently released Intelligent RMS, a software platform designed to centralize law firms’ and corporate legal departments’ data, affording clients more strategic information, said…

Blake Miller and Ashley Z. Hand, "The Future of Living"

Blake Miller’s ‘Future of Living’ podcast envisions a world changed by startups, tech, gig economy

The future is now, said Blake Miller, and it’s streaming. Kansas City IoT tech firm Homebase’s founder and CEO recently launched a podcast — “The Future of Living” — aimed at uncovering what tomorrow holds for startups, small businesses, and curious citizens alike, he explained. “You’ve got smart cities, you’ve got smart buildings — the…