Latest Stories

Product Hunt enters KC market, offers onboard for entrepreneurs

By Tommy Felts / June 22, 2015

A popular international product discovery platform is hoping to engage more tech entrepreneurs in the Kansas City area. Product Hunt — a website that features new products such as apps, hardware and other tech creations — recently launched a series of meetings in Kansas City in hopes of garnering more products from the area for…

Developer conference hopes to boost KC’s tech profile

By Tommy Felts / June 22, 2015

A group of local tech talent is banding together to bring global exposure to Kansas City’s tech scene. Set to kick off Wednesday, the two-day Kansas City Developer Conference hopes to engage techies with all aspects of software development. In addition to connecting developers, the seventh-annual conference aspires for a bigger mission: to put KC…

Blooom makes national TV debut

By Tommy Felts / June 19, 2015

Overland Park-based financial tech firm Blooom hopes to seed new growth opportunities after a recent national TV appearance. Blooom CEO Chris Costello and President Greg Smith hopped onto Fox Business Tuesday to discuss 401(k) management and their company, which created an online 401(k) management tool that’s seen solid early traction. The tool uses a flower in various…

Think branding: The importance of internal marketing

By Tommy Felts / June 18, 2015

In this Think column, hr-haven founder Belinda Waggoner dissects the imperative of a coherent, thoughtful internal identity within one’s company. The Think column helps entrepreneurs to stop and think about the various aspects of starting and running a business. If you haven’t unlocked the secrets or even considered the benefits of internal branding, here’s a little story we tell…

KC tech firms respond to ‘bleak’ millennial voter turnout

By Tommy Felts / June 18, 2015

A meager millennial voter turnout in Kansas City’s recent municipal elections is compelling local organizations to combat apathy with technology. More Kansas Citians 90 and older cast ballots in the City of Fountain’s 2014 municipal elections than voters under 30, according to a study by Kansas City-based civic engagement company mySidewalk. A paltry 0.7 percent…

Lean Lab announces new, mature fellowship class

By Tommy Felts / June 18, 2015

The Lean Lab, an education innovation incubator, announced its second cohort of fellows who hope to bring meaningful change to Kansas City education. In the 2015 class, 10 fellows with seven solutions for Kansas City’s urban education will be participating in the Lean Lab’s summer program. Fellows arrive at the program with ideas in various…

KC newbie Rex tops $1M in revenue, kicks off hiring

By Tommy Felts / June 17, 2015

Surging growth at one of Kansas City’s newest startups is leading it to hire a staff six times its current size. Rex, an animal health tech company that recently graduated from the Techstars-led Sprint Accelerator, is hoping to quickly boost its headcount from two to 12. In the days following a pitch at the accelerator’s…

ShotTracker, NBA champ Klay Thompson set for virtual camp

By Tommy Felts / June 17, 2015

The Golden State Warriors weren’t the only team elated from its Tuesday night NBA Championship win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Overland Park-based ShotTracker also snagged a win alongside the Warriors’ first championship since 1975, as the wearable tech firm’s recent endorsement deal with Golden State guard Klay Thompson received another coat of varnish. Golden State’s…

Digital Sandbox helps entrepreneurs fight summer slump

By Tommy Felts / June 16, 2015

With summer knocking at the door, Digital Sandbox KC is taking initiative to provide resources and instruction to keep entrepreneurs engaged and on-point. Digital Sandbox, a proof-of-concept program that expedites area businesses’ projects, will host the third-annual “Summer in the Sand Series” as a way of prompting discussion around relevant topics for entrepreneurs. “The Summer…

Techstars acquires UP Global, expands KC footprint

By Tommy Felts / June 16, 2015

The global business accelerator firm that operates the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator announced a major acquisition Tuesday that will expand its reach in Kansas City. Boulder-based Techstars reported Tuesday morning that it acquired UP Global, an international non-profit that fosters entrepreneurship with a variety of events and programs around the world. UP Global operates the…

Stackify continues global growth ahead of HQ move

By Tommy Felts / June 15, 2015

Kansas City-based tech firm Stackify is posting a solid year of growth that’s leading it to hop the state line for more office space. Led by CEO Matt Watson, Stackify is moving its headquarters and 15 staff members from Kansas City’s Waldo neighborhood to Leawood, Kan., for larger and swankier offices. Watson said that Stackify…

Mobile giving platform, Daily Deeds wants to help KC charities

By Tommy Felts / June 15, 2015

“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love,” Mother Teresa once famously said. That’s the spirit behind a new charitable crowdfunding platform that’s set to launch in Kansas City this Wednesday. Created by local attorney Tim Racer, Daily Deeds is a mobile donation platform that hopes…

Six Kansas City coworking studios to inspire you

By Tommy Felts / June 12, 2015

Kansas City features an array of coworking spaces aimed at fostering collaboration and creativity. Below are a few of the spaces that caught our eye. Twelve coworking studios in the Kansas City area recently banded together to collectively raise their profiles to attract more businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals with the KC Coworking Alliance. The studios hope to bring awareness to their…

KC companies tap K-State LAB program

By Tommy Felts / June 12, 2015

Three Kansas City area startups are honing their approaches with an array of resources at a business development program at Kansas State University. Acre Designs (Kansas City, Kan.) and AEGLE Palette (Shawnee) and Alvoru Clothing (Shawnee) were selected to participate in KSU’s Launch a Business program, which is designed to cultivate promising ventures in Kansas…

KC joins White House in “Startup in a Day” effort

By Tommy Felts / June 11, 2015

Kansas City has joined a national effort to streamline the process of registering and licensing a new business for entrepreneurs. The City of Fountains has pledged to the White House and Small Business Administration to make launching a business an easier process via the “Startup in a Day” initiative. “Navigating the maze of licensing and…