Woman-led Stories
Legal tech startup Stenovate earns Fountain Innovation Fund’s second investment
The Fountain Innovation Fund is flowing with Kansas City-based Stenovate selected as the second startup to earn its support, the Enterprise Center in Johnson County announced Wednesday. “Stenovate is an exciting investment for the Fountain Innovation Fund,” explained Maggie Kenefake, managing director of the fund, which chose to back Stenovate based on the emerging startup’s…
Fund Me, KC: Mind Star App ‘needed in my darkest moments,’ says founder, survivor of depression
Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like Kristin Rulon with her Mind Star Health campaign — to share their crowdfunding stories to gain a little help from their supporters. Who are you? Kristin Rulon, founder and CEO…
$16.4M third fund for Royal Street; KC needs at least one $100M exit each year, leader says
A $16.4 million third fund will see Kansas City-rooted Royal Street Ventures claim even more stake in area startups and establish itself as a leader in locally-sourced venture capital, said Laura Brady. “We have invested in six companies in Kansas City — including two already in Fund III,” Brady, Royal Street’s managing director, noted of the…
Are venture-seeking women, minority founders at an unfair disadvantage in KC?
Editor’s note: The following is the second in a series of analyses of Startland’s list of Kansas City’s Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies. On stage with a handful of men, Erin Papworth faced a dilemma. The founder of Nav.It — one of the startups to recently complete Fountain City Fintech’s second accelerator cohort — found herself fighting…
Sisters flex startup strength with well-toned, high-performance Angel Competition Bikinis
Bold women are a force to be reckoned with, declared Karah Jones, and they should never feel the need to hide who they are. “Sometimes in this world it’s frowned upon for a female to be confident,” Jones, co-founder and CEO of Angel Competition Bikinis, said of her motivations for launching the Lenexa company —…





