Pipeline Pathfinder

AI-generated bedtime stories are just the first chapter in JQ Sirls epic venture to make the publishing industry more inclusive

Every great children’s story deserves the opportunity to be published, JQ Sirls said, adding his own footnote that more people are qualified than they think to create them.  “I could put 1,000 people in one room and tell them all to write a short story about their childhood. While many of them may have a…

From exclusive to expansive: What Pipeline’s first hire in three years (and a $3M grant) mean for its efforts to close region’s resource gap

Kansas City — and the world — miss out when the potential contributions of promising entrepreneurs goes untapped, said Don Carter, pointing to Pipeline Pathfinder’s impact on minority, women, and rural-based entrepreneurs. “There are so many people doing so many dope things, so many cool things in the world, but they just aren’t connected to…

Pipeline opens application for 2023 fellowship, Pathfinder; boosts its own storytelling

Midwest entrepreneurs deserve the resources they need to scale into high-growth ventures, said Melissa Vincent, announcing the launch this week of applications for Pipeline’s latest fellowship and Pathfinder program for overlooked founders. Tapping into its network of more than 180 entrepreneurs who have generated over $2.2 billion in revenues, Pipeline’s support system ranges from intense…

Melissa Vincent, Pipeline Entrepreneurs, and Donald Hawkins, Kinly, at the 2022 Pipeline Innovators gala

Pipeline Innovators gala adds glamour, top honors back into the mix for celebration of fellows 

A remixed Pipeline Innovators gala honored veteran and emerging fellows from within the elite startup founder network Friday — returning the full live celebration to a stage in Kansas City for the first time since 2018 and crowning two new Innovator of the Year recipients. Marking the first Innovators gala for Pipeline executive director Melissa…

Avatar for hire (in a few years): Gamified career platform helps kids explore their future in the workforce

It’s a powerful question asked in classrooms every day, Jessica Munoz Valerio said, recalling her own experience with the common prompt and how tapping into and gamifying it could change lives.  “When my daughter was young — as early as 5 years old — she got asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’”she…