Startups Stories

Just Play Sports Solutions lands seven pro sports clients

A Kansas City startup is going pro. On Tuesday, Just Play Sports Solutions announced it will partner with seven professional WNBA teams — the Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, LA Sparks, Seattle Storm and Washington Mystic. The teams represent the firm’s first foray into professional sports’ clients. Founded in 2014 by two…

LED Rabbit tech enhances training for track athletes

A new Lenexa-based tech firm aims to make training for track and field athletes more precise. Founded in 2015, LED Rabbit is an electronic pacing system that can attach to or overlay any track. The product uses LED lighting to move a marker around a track, offering runners an indicator of what their pace needs…

Prairie Char, Integrated Animal Health sweep international ag, bio tech competition

Two tech firms based in Lawrence, Kan., swept the top awards at a recent national agriculture and biotech conference. Beating out more than 500 international competitors, Prairie Char and Integrated Animal Health snagged first and second place, respectively, at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center’s annual entrepreneurial showcase.  “What this says is that Kansas is very…

Vibrant clothing, mission guides socially focused startup By Grace Designs

A social impact firm with the mission to empower women in Ghana and India recently beat out more than 40 other firms to win the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge, earning it $20,000.  Co-founded by Emily Moon and Kelsey Carlstedt in 2015, By Grace Designs is a nonprofit that sells handmade, culturally-authentic clothing online, offering vibrantly…

Blooom announces layoffs, new strategic focus on consumers

Refocusing its outbound efforts to solely target consumers, financial tech startup Blooom has laid off nearly a third of its staff and a top executive has resigned. The Leawood-based company recently announced that it has let go of 10 employees as it moves resources away from marketing to enterprises and will refocus on direct-to-consumer marketing….