Freightquote

Jy Maze, Maze Freight Solutions

Secret sauce called faith: How being Black, religion and mentors shaped Jy Maze, kept her startup from failing

The COVID-19 pandemic has not been the only hurdle for Maze Freight Solutions, said Jy Maze, and it certainly won’t be the last.  “People think because you’re a CEO of a company that everything is gravy. No one knows about the bloody knees from praying, the begging for money, nobody giving you a shot —…

Strang Hall, Edison District, Overland Park

Five-chef food hall concept headed downtown thanks to one of KC’s most successful founders

Serial entrepreneur Tim Barton is bringing his “chef collective” concept from downtown Overland Park to the heart of KCMO, the founder of Edison District announced Thursday, teasing the first details of a new development at the in-progress Lightwell building. “It’ll be a 13,500 square-foot food hall with five chef concepts,” Barton, whose Johnson County Strang…

Tim Barton, Edison Spaces, InvestMidwest

Freightquote, Edison Factory founder-turned-investor touts ‘work ethic worth investing in’

Raise and raise relentlessly. Because in business, the sun won’t shine every day, Tim Barton told a room filled Wednesday morning with entrepreneurs and investors eagerly seeking support and insight at the 20th InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum. The former CEO of Freightquote, who saw a $365 million exit for the company in 2014 before launching…

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…

Little Hoots

Pint-sized perspective: KC’s Little Hoots takes nostalgia-capturing tech to MIT

From the cute and comedic to the whimsical and wise, every parent can pinpoint a Little Hoots moment that relates to their personal adventure in child-rearing, said Lacey Ellis, founder and CEO of the Kansas City-birthed mobile app that recently turned heads at MIT. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, a hoot is…