Latest Stories
KC-based PatientsVoices pulls $150K in first round of seed capital, additional $75K from MTC
Competing for a spot in a Nashville-based health tech accelerator, PatientsVoices landed its first round of seed capital — with a booster shot from the State of Missouri. A $150,000 innovation grant from Jumpstart Foundry investment group represents a leap forward for PatientsVoices, headquartered in iWerx’s North Kansas City entrepreneurial development center, said founder and…
Beyond buzzwords: Foxtrot Supply mounts protest of an increasingly online-only world
A large butcher block table stands between the owners of Foxtrot Supply Co. and its customers. But the found-object centerpiece of their Crossroads store is meant as a meeting place, not a barrier, said Ryan Hetu. “It’s alluring, inviting and kind of vulnerable,” the Foxtrot co-founder explained. Stitched into the high-traffic fabric of First Fridays…
Peek inside: Made in KC Marketplace offers a glimpse of its new Plaza store (Photos)
Amid the bustle of traffic and construction in one of Kansas City’s most dominant shopping destinations, the Made in KC Marketplace has quietly been taking shape on the Country Club Plaza. The retailer — which specializes in showcasing wares crafted by local makers — opened the doors of its new location with little fanfare this…
iWerx Gladstone to expand Northland coworking, incubator options in former racquetball club
Two years after launching its sprawling flagship site in North Kansas City, a premiere coworking community is expected to debut iWerx Gladstone in late fall. The two-story, 32,000-square-foot space — originally built as a racquetball club and renovated into a traditional office building in the mid 1980s — will be home to about 80 offices,…
STL exit: Welltodo founder credits firm’s acquisition to early support from KC startup community
With the final deal still in the works Friday, Chris Cardinal said the acquisition of St. Louis-based Welltodo by SensorRX wouldn’t have been possible without the pre-seed rallying of his fellow entrepreneurs in Kansas City. Though the company moved across the state in 2016 to be closer to the co-founder’s in-laws, Cardinal said, the foundation for…
Simplifying access: PayIt teams with KCK Unified Government for enhanced myWyco app
Interacting with state and local government can and should be seamless, said Monica Harrell of PayIt, a KC tech firm that partnered its statewide iKan app with Wyandotte County’s myWyco app to create enhanced access for residents. “It’s a more streamlined experience,” said Harrell, senior client manager for Payit, “Especially because residents are not usually…
LaunchCode partners like VML turn apprentices into professional programmers
Tech fields provide a never-ending learning experience, said Mohammad Rasoulipour, a creative technologist at VML. With a background in design, Rasoulipour turned to LaunchCode to get a leg up in the web design world, try something new — and land a job a premier marketing and advertising firm like VML. LaunchCode, a free tech training program,…
Bobby Burch: ‘The mountains are calling, and I must go’ — farewell and thank you
Editor’s Note: Startland News co-founder and editor-in-chief Bobby Burch will depart the storytelling organization at the end of July. Tommy Felts will assume leadership of Startland effective immediately. It was three-and-a-half years ago when Kansas City Startup Foundation CEO Adam Arredondo approached me with a “what if” scheme to start a publication focused on entrepreneurship….
WATCH: No reason for ‘lone wolfing’ the startup grind, LaunchKC past winners say as application window narrows
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by LaunchKC but was independently produced by Startland News. With a July 11 application deadline nearing, LaunchKC past winners emphasized the popular, high-profile grants contest is about much more than chasing a payday. “There’s the community piece. There’s the exposure piece. But once you win — or even once…
Accelerate Tech Learning targets the (urban) core of KC’s programmer shortage
Training would-be programmers from Kansas City’s urban core isn’t about getting rich, said Joshua Clark, co-founder of Accelerate Tech Learning. But unfortunately that means it can be tricky to get underestimated students the costly education to become a certified developer in the world of information technology, added Mauri Trent, Accelerate Tech’s executive vice president of…
