Latest Stories

Meg Tomlinson, Nick Wehrle and Greg Blome, Omega Power Creamer

Omega Power Creamer founders turn keto craze into a million-dollar idea

If it weren’t for the failure of a St. Louis tech startup where two friends found themselves working after college, their Kansas City-headquartered company might not exist today, pondered Greg Blome. “It kind of fell through and we were looking at [our idea] … we were trying for a long time to figure out a…

Sporting KC, FanThreeSixty

Sporting KC teams with FanThreeSixty on new app for enhanced matchday experiences

Kansas City’s vaunted MLS club scored a win even before its season begins Thursday, Sporting KC said, announcing this week a new official team app that taps the tech expertise of KC-based FanThreeSixty. Available now in the App Store and on Google Play, the platform leverages FanThreeSixty’s fan engagement software and analytics processes to offer…

InvestMidwest

Only five of 40 KC startups make the cut for InvestMidwest VC pitch forum

InvestMidwest has whittled down the applicants for next month’s venture capital forum, announcing five Kansas City area companies will take the stage at the premier pitch event. Thirty-six fast-growing startups overall — representing 15 Midwest, East Coast and Southern states — are expected to present to venture capitalists, corporate investors, private investors and other key…

TrueAccord San Francisco team

San Francisco FinTech firm bringing 150 new jobs to KC; TrueAccord invests $1.34M

A Silicon Valley startup founded by tech veterans announced today a new 12,000-square-foot shared services operation in Lenexa, pledging 150 new jobs as part of the $1.34 million TrueAccord investment. Selecting the Kansas City metro for the project followed a thorough nationwide search, said Sheila Monroe, chief operating officer of TrueAccord, an automated debt recovery platform…

Shawnee Mission brain

Young brains rewired by non-stop screen time in classrooms, neurotherapist tells district

[Editor’s note: The following is part of a limited Startland series, exploring parent advocates’ objections to 1:1 technology initiatives, which typically put a tablet device in the hands of each student and are popularly used as classroom innovation models across Kansas City and the nation.] A rise in ADHD diagnosis and increased risk of suicide…

Photo courtesy of Melanie Haas

Mother stresses lack of parental consent for school devices amid privacy, development worries

[Editor’s note: The following is part of a limited Startland series, exploring parent advocates’ objections to 1:1 technology initiatives, which typically put a tablet device in the hands of each student and are popularly used as classroom innovation models across Kansas City and the nation.] Digital dangers are lurking in Shawnee Mission classrooms, as schools…

Questioning 1:1 initiatives: Tech devices don’t equal innovation, disillusioned parents argue

[Editor’s note: The following is part of a limited Startland series, exploring parent advocates’ objections to 1:1 technology initiatives, which typically put a tablet device in the hands of each student and are popularly used as classroom innovation models across Kansas City and the nation.] A $20 million investment in tech-forward learning environments for the…

Erika Klotz and Scott Hansen, Recruit PopBookings

New Recruit self-service event staffing platform puts KC’s PopBookings in the big game

While the Kansas City Chiefs might have narrowly missed their shot at the 2019 Super Bowl, the city was well represented as a source for event staffing at the game, revealed Erika Klotz, noting the power of Recruit, a new product from KC-based PopBookings. A client used the self-service platform to book 288 shifts for…

Nia Richardson, KC Bizcare

KCultivator Q&A: Nia Richardson an architect of startup support ‘born, made and raised on Prospect’

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Experience the world, engage with community, and execute ideas to get ahead — not only in life, but in building a legacy that stands the test of time, said Nia Richardson. A product of Kansas City Public…

RUMBLE

IoT panel to startups: Demystify emerging tech and take risks, but prepare to fail fast

Entrepreneurs often get lost in the hype of emerging technologies like the Internet of Things, failing to effectively integrate new tech into their startups, said Don Sharp. “Whether it’s the latest, greatest thing or not — it’s no different than any other tool,” said Sharp, CEO of St. Louis-based Coolfire Solutions and panelist at RUMBLE’s…