Startups Stories
Meet the cohort: Founder scaling Startup Weekend’s winning idea through Columbia venture fund, studio
COLUMBIA, Missouri — Winning Missouri Startup Weekend this spring put Chrystal Graves one step closer to revolutionizing the beauty industry, she shared, noting the victory helped secure her spot in the Scale venture fund and studio. “I have been passionate about helping salons be profitable and inclusive for a long time, but I thought building…
New culinary center opens in the Northland, offering startup food businesses commercial kitchen space
Mid-Continent Public Library opened the doors to its much-anticipated Culinary Center — with public-facing food and nutrition-focused classes beginning in June, as well as commercial kitchen access for emerging food entrepreneurs. “We are thrilled to finally welcome the community into our space and can’t wait to get cooking!” said Xander Winkel, director for MCPL’s Culinary…
This startup’s AI, Bluetooth tech could push traffic to businesses, boost equity when World Cup comes to KC
This spring’s NFL Draft served as a beta test for Kansas City’s implementation of Jonathan Ruiz’s bluetooth technology, he said, noting that the tech and data could help better prepare the city for the World Cup in 2026. “We wanted to start collecting this data for our partners in Kansas City’s Downtown and City Market,…
PayIt goes outdoors, acquiring sportsman tech startup, Nashville hub for its expanded footprint
A newly announced deal to acquire Nashville-based conservation tech provider Sovereign Sportsman Solutions (S3) is expected to expand PayIt’s govtech solutions into the world of outdoor recreation — making it easier for hunting, fishing and boating enthusiasts to obtain needed licenses and permits. The strategic acquisition — subject to customary closing conditions and set to…
How a KC startup is using Bluetooth to help ranchers ID sick cows days before symptoms
Just-released geolocation technology from MyAnIML can flag and locate sick cattle two to three days ahead of symptoms — protecting the health of the herd and offering a revolutionary new security tool for the beef and dairy supply chain, said serial tech entrepreneur Shekhar Gupta. The Kansas City startup’s patent-pending technology uses artificial intelligence and…
