Latest Stories
WISE Power generates plans for 9,000-square-foot entertainment lounge at Hy-Vee Arena
Hy-Vee Arena is the perfect place for a WISE Power demo site, said Brittany Williams, but it also is an opportunity to bring innovative leisure to Kansas City. The startup’s new showroom doubles as an entertainment lounge providing food, drink and virtual reality. “We figured we needed demo space — like the Tesla space on…
Pure Pitch Rally winner says local investment will push Fast Democracy toward focus on KC politics
Offering voters a crystal clear look at the legislative process is winning support for Fast Democracy within the Kansas City startup ecosystem, said Jill Kline, the CEO behind the evolving bill tracking platform. “This was always the roadmap. We started out with some of these basic features, wanting to help the general public get their…
Skipping the line: PayIt driver’s license renewal tech iKan puts DMV stigma in reverse
The market is hungry for consumer-grade digital experiences, said John Thomson, founder and CEO at Kansas City tech startup PayIt. Tuesday’s launch of the firm’s iKan driver’s license renewal technology is a step toward satisfying motorists starved for time and frustrated with inconveniences like long lines and packed parking lots at licensing offices. “Kansas residents…
KCultivator Q&A: Pennez’s Rebecca Dove on pushing past a world that says ‘No’
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. Pennez is working to combat childhood illiteracy by bringing its technology to after-school programming, said founder Rebecca Dove. The…
KC-based Sellozo opens upgraded analytics platform to Amazon sellers
Upping the stakes, true profit tracking platform Sellozo plans to roll out a new level of access for its users selling on retail giant Amazon, said Jessica McCune. “It’s definitely cool to have the capability to work with more than just the North American marketplace,” McCune, the Kansas City-grown company’s marketing specialist, said of the…
Dream Muscle Coffee roasts hipster coffee shop stereotype with protein brew targeting KC’s east side
When life hands out lemons, some people turn them into lemonade. But what happens when it throws 300 pounds of coffee beans in your direction? You percolate new ideas that can disrupt an overcaffeinated market and strengthen a community, Timothy Shockley chuckled. “A friend of mine closed his [Shawnee] coffee shop and left [the beans]…
Talent pipeline: Missouri Hyperloop could be a light at the end of the tech jobs tunnel
A high-speed Missouri Hyperloop route connecting Kansas City and St. Louis would power a state-spanning metro area with fluid access to tech jobs and talent, as well as a region pumped for economic growth, leaders familiar with the proposed project said. “You could easily live in St. Louis and work in Kansas City, and have…
Collaboration in the air: Cough detection sensors combine Sickweather, Mycroft tech
You can’t manage what you can’t measure, said Sickweather CEO Graham Dodge, describing the need for cough detection sensors that are slated to be rolled out in public places across Kansas City in 2019. Illness forecaster Sickweather is teaming up with fellow Kansas City startup Mycroft, a leader in artificial intelligence-infused tech, to develop the…
Pet innovators unleash market built on experiences, evolving relationships with dogs (Photos)
Meaningful relationships are no longer only between people, said Davide Rossi, discussing the rise of pet innovators and an emerging market built on experiences with four-legged family members. “They key thing is to recognize that the relationship between us and our pets has been changing,” said Rossi, co-founder of FitBark, a Kansas City-based pet tech…
Human capital: KC Mythbusters challenges Kansas City to rethink how it supports startups
A thriving startup ecosystem requires more stakeholders with skin in the game, said Eric Jorgenson. That means increasing direct participation — those actively and directly building or investing in startups that can potentially exit and see a talent and capital explosion that results in even newer startups — and de-emphasizing the need for and dependence…
