Woman-led Stories

Spark KC

First look: Excitement builds as Spark KC nears summer coworking debut at Two Light

As Kyla Bradley closed the door to a 22-person suite within the new Spark Kansas City coworking space, the sound of ongoing construction on the first two floors of Two Light nearly vanished. “It’s not technically ‘sound-proofed’ in here,” she said with a smile, noting a dramatic reduction in noise within the customizable, three-room office…

A.J. Mellott and Heather Decker, Ronawk

Ronawk cultivates first funding round, fight against COVID-19 from new Olathe lab 

As COVID-19 continues to wage war on the world, researchers in an Olathe-based lab are generating trillions of human cells that could be used to cure the ever-lingering virus.  “It eliminates a lot of the work that’s needed,” A.J. Mellott, president and co-founder of Ronawk, said of the health tech startup’s premiere product — Tissue Blocks…

Wheyward Spirit

Farm to flask: Spirit made from dairy byproduct aims to craft its own herd the right whey

Wheyward Spirit is about mixing more than a tasty tonic, said Emily Darchuk, creator of a whey-based alcohol that uses the liquid byproduct of making dairy products for a sustainable sip. “We’re doing things differently for the right reasons in creating a flavorful spirit that’s good enough to sip straight, but it’s also taking a…

Kaitlin Doyle, Kevin Montanez, Kirby Montgomery, and Simone Astra Louise Montgomery; photo courtesy of Maria Butz

TheraWe exits: Pandemic opens pipeline for KC health tech startup, catching eye of NY buyer 

Kirby Montgomery announced the acquisition of TheraWe earlier this week, but — in a nod to “evening entrepreneurism” — the founder won’t actually go full-time with the startup he created three years ago until Monday. TheraWe — a HIPAA-compliant mobile video platform that bridges the gap between pediatric therapy centers and families at home — recently…

Gerald Smith, Plexpod

Created for collisions, coworking spaces adapt to a socially distant return to flexible offices

Typically focused on in-person collaboration and interaction, coworking spaces are adapting to the realities of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — and seeing some unexpected opportunities, said Gerald Smith. “Corporate inquiries just went through the roof because suddenly they’re now looking to de-densify their corporate headquarters,” said Smith, founder of Plexpod, a progressive coworking community with four…