Startups Stories

iKan, Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, John Thomson, PayIt CEO, and Donna Shelite, interim Kansas chief technology officer

Say goodbye to the DMV? Gov tech firm PayIt launches iKan app with State of Kansas

Kansans can now renew their vehicle registration with a touch on their phones thanks to a KC-based government tech firm’s new iKan app, Gov. Jeff Colyer said Thursday. Designed by PayIt, the iKan platform is designed to allow users to interact with multiple state services in a self-service, intuitive experience from their phones, tablets, and…

Luke Norris OpenCities

PayIt exec departs to launch Australia-based OpenCities office in KC

An executive with Kansas City-based PayIt has departed the company to open an area office for another government tech firm. Previously head of local government solutions at PayIt, Luke Norris now is leading the Kansas City office of Australia-based OpenCities, which is a provider of website and digital services for governments across the world. “The…

PopChef, Startup Weekend KC

Cooking class curator wins Google-backed Startup Weekend competition

Nine teams made it through Startup Weekend, but only one team earned the dough: PopChef, which cooked up a platform to sign up for interactive kitchen classes with local chefs. PopChef co-founders Zack Kern and Ruby Montoya were ecstatic to win the competition, Kern said. In addition to receiving an hour of consulting with Lesa…

Comfy Cup Kyler Russell

Preteen inventor’s kid-friendly Comfy Cup athletic gear ready to leave the dugout, family says

A preteen baseball player who helped develop a more comfortable athletic cup for young athletes wants to scale the business to include a deeper product line and sizes for adults. Lenexa native Kyler Russell, who turned 12 Thursday, invented Comfy Cup as a Little League player. He was required to wear an athletic cup, even…

Chase McAnulty, Charlie Hustle

Charlie Hustle returning to founder’s vintage Jayhawk roots with Lawrence shop

A new retail space in Lawrence will be a homecoming of sorts for Chase McAnulty — taking Charlie Hustle back to the college city where he first wove his passion for vintage threads into a business. “It’s huge for me personally because it’s kind of come full circle,” the founder, owner and CEO said. Overlooking…