Kalin Baca
Bracket bash races to halfcourt, cutting pitch competitors down to 16 Kansas startups
The competition for $25,000 in startup capital is intensifying for more than a dozen Kansas entrepreneurs as a high-profile pitch event announced Wednesday that it had narrowed the field from 32 finalists to 16. Selected companies — half of which hail from the Kansas City region — advance to the next round of the 2026…
Icorium earns $1.2M SBIR grant; CEO Kalin Baca honored as 2025 Enterprising Innovator
A just-announced infusion of federal grant dollars is expected to help a Lawrence startup scale its breakthrough technology from pilot validation to a full commercial process — boosting efforts to dramatically reduce the climate impact of refrigerants used in air conditioners, heat pumps and refrigeration systems. Icorium Engineering Company on Wednesday released details of a…
Pipeline adds top founders to its network: Meet 14 fellows tasked with building the Midwest together
The newest class of Pipeline fellows embodies the elite Midwest network’s founder-first focus on industry-agnostic collaboration and support, said Melissa Vincent, noting the power of tapping barrier-breaking perspectives to solve problems and build world-class companies side by side. “We have an incredible depth of entrepreneurs who are all focused on building high-growth, scalable businesses, but…
KC-based Jayhawk startups earn cut of $570K from Oread Angel Investors pitch event
LAWRENCE, Kansas — Four Kansas City-area startups with ties to the University of Kansas recently took home funding infusions from a newly formed network of Sunflower State investors — part of a rapidly advancing initiative led by KU Innovation Park. Members of the Oread Angel Investors network, which launched in September and now has about…
10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2025
It’ll be a year for entrepreneurs on a mission. Many of the startups poised to make eye-catching headlines in 2025 also are working toward a better future — for the earth, for mothers, for people who love their pets, for Kansas Citians who’ve embraced the city’s craft community, and even for sports enthusiasts honing their…
