Startups Stories
Entrepreneur on the side: UMKC challenge awards cash for top student hustle
Side hustles are a growing trend across the country — and the UMKC campus, said Alex Krause Matlack, noting the university is leaning into its role as an innovation incubator for student founders. Now in its second year, UMKC’s Side Hustle Challenge was established with the primary goal of empowering students with the knowledge and…
KC is capitalizing on recent wins: Here’s how it’s paying off for tech, biologics startups (and investors)
Dan Kerr joined a chorus of area officials and investment leaders singing the praises of a region on the rise Tuesday during a Midwest-focused venture conference in downtown Kansas City. “I hope you engage with the city and see some of the awesome stuff going on here locally,” the event co-founder and partner at Flyover…
Building your eco-friendly dream home can be time suck, co-founders say; a new app gives renovators the keys to energy efficiency
KINGSTON, New York — Sustainability shouldn’t just be an add-on for new homebuyers or renovators, said Brad Johnsmeyer, noting recent improvements in technology make critical upgrades to elements like insulation, water heaters, and solar features more financially accessible — but not always approachable to the everyday person. “It’s gotten to the point where it’s almost a…
KC startup’s assests acquired by InnovaPrep; founder says best partners share ‘niche’ expertise
Clara Biotech was one of the first startups to complete BioTools Innovator’s accelerator in 2021, said Jim West; now the Kansas-built startup’s CEO is fully aboard the entrepreneur-boosting effort as associate director — and with his own company’s exit behind him. West, co-founder of Clara Biotech — which launched first-of-its-kind cancer detection in 2015 from…
Money in the tank: Health tech startup lands Pure Pitch Rally’s biggest catch of the day
The support of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community — and the “land sharks” at this year’s Pure Pitch Rally — means the world to MedCurate founder and CEO Ashley McClellan, she shared. “They have just wrapped their arms around me as I’ve transitioned from corporate America to the entrepreneurship space,” she continued. “I’m very grateful for…
