Woman-led Stories

Katie Boody, LEANLAB Education

LEANLAB Education earns $200K grant from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for public schools research

A $200,000 grant to LEANLAB Education from Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropic arm will mark the Facebook founder’s first investment in the Kansas City education scene. “We are committed to growing partnerships throughout the country,” said Katie Boody, LEANLAB CEO. “And with the support of [The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative] we aspire to write the playbook for how…

Healium Webby

Butterflies and brain waves: KC-area’s Healium floating with WEBBY nomination

A year of traction continues for Columbia-inflated startup Healium by StoryUP. The virtual reality solution for situational stress and anxiety recently landed a WEBBY nomination for best use of augmented reality, revealed Sarah Hill, the company’s founder. “A WEBBY nomination for a small midwest company like ours is a big deal,” Hill said of the…

Reggie Gray, Black Privilege, KCSourceLink video

WATCH: Faces of KC entrepreneurship find strength in numbers, community resources

A new video from KCSourceLink highlights the faces of Kansas City entrepreneurship — featuring makers, innovators, tech founders and social entrepreneurs — and their connection to the resource network and ecosystem infrastructure in Kansas City. “It takes very special people to be able to put everything on the line,” says Reggie Gray, executive director of Black…

We Create KC report: Half of top VC-backed companies tapped early-stage support

In 2018, 50 percent of the top venture capital-funded companies in Kansas City got their start with early-stage investment programs that emerged after 2012, according to We Create KC 2019, KCSourceLink’s sixth annual state of entrepreneurship report. “That high percentage shows us how important these early-stage investment programs are to our entrepreneurs and our ecosystem,”…

Plexpod River Market

With final flourishes under way, Plexpod River Market opening expected within weeks

Plexpod River Market might be weeks away from opening, but the coworking community’s new location on the KC Streetcar line already is sparking interest among startups, said Gerald Smith. “Magic happens when these entrepreneurs have a platform where they can connect — that’s where sparks fly,” said Smith, co-founder of Plexpod. “The more we can…