Startups Stories

Ag tech startup Farmobile raises $18M round for global expansion

Ag tech company Farmobile has reaped a substantial Series B funding round that positions the firm to rapidly accelerate across the world. The Overland Park-based company announced Friday that it raised $18.1 million to expand its data platform to help farmers mitigate risks and generate a revenue from the data they own. The round includes…

Chucker, Julia and Susan Luetje

10-year-old Leawood inventor in the running for $250K

Kansas City entrepreneurs are known for their Midwestern hospitality, collaborative nature and humility. And each of those traits are expressed by 10-year-old inventor Julia Luetje of Leawood, whose entrepreneurial spirit is now on the national stage as part of a Frito-Lay’s Dreamvention competition. “I invented the Storm Sleeper because I used to be afraid of…

Face it: Zoloz tech lets you to pay with a smile

With a recently revealed new brand and broader strategic focus, Kansas City-based Zoloz is expanding its biometrics security offerings to include another unique human attribute: a user’s face. Formerly known as EyeVerify, Zoloz unveiled three new products — Zoloz Connect, Real ID and Smile — that CEO Toby Rush said will ensure trust and security…

From Google to KC, Beth Ellyn McClendon’s advice to startups: Test everything

Don’t fall in love with an idea, Beth Ellyn McClendon said. “Test everything, especially your assumptions, and allow yourself to be persuaded by data,” said McClendon, a seed investor who formerly worked with Google, Android, YouTube, Cisco and Netscape. “Try to remember — tattoo it on your eyelids if you have to – anecdotes are not…

Flo and Jamil Nelson, Bodyrite Fitness KC

Bodyrite duo cooks meal prep into personal training concept

Don’t just go with the flow at a traditional gym, Jamil Nelson said. Go with Flo. “Treadmills and ellipticals are pretty archaic to us,” said Nelson — or “Mr. Bodyrite” to his wife, Florese. “A jump rope is way better because it’s going to blow up your heart rate.” Modern workouts are all about functional,…