Tammy Buckner

Roy Scott, Healthy Hip Hop; Ina Montgomery, Urban TEC; Tammy Buckner, WeCode KC; and Edgar Palacios, Latinx Education Collaborative

LEANLAB awards $50K in seed grants to 19 Black and Latinx innovators in education

Entrepreneurs should reflect the communities they serve, said Katie Boody — a charge even more critical when innovative work touches Kansas City’s diverse public school systems, she added. “I know firsthand how challenging launching a startup can be for anyone, and especially for founders of color,” said Boody, co-founder and CEO of LEANLAB Education, announcing the…

Jerren Thornhill, The Guy Experience

Guy Experience founder spins Sandbox cash into opportunity for teen coding students

A new opportunity to build key, startup assets for The Guy Experience has Kansas City kids compiling their futures.  “We really believe in giving them a project and believing in them,” Jerren Thornhill, founder of The Guy Experience, said of the startup’s new partnership with We Code KC.  As part of the collaboration, We Code…

Tammy Buckner and Dr. Phillip Hickman, WeCodeKC

Two tech founders identified a coding talent gap; they launched WeCodeKC to help fill it

A future-ready workforce depends on students mastering as many technology, cybersecurity, and computer science skills as possible, said Tammy Buckner. The founder at CTO of Techquity Digital, Buckner joined forces this fall with Dr. Phillip Hickman, author and founder of PlaBook, to launch WeCodeKC — a no-cost, year-round program built to promote computer skills through…

David Biga, Particle Space, Startup Crawl KC

Photos: Startup Crawl KC draws 1,000+ to the Crossroads, despite First Fridays overhaul

Mission accomplished, said organizers of Startup Crawl KC, announcing record attendance during the fifth showing of the innovation expo.  “Best Startup Crawl ever,” said Gerald Smith, co-founder of Plexpod — which played host Oct. 4 to one of the Crawl’s three stops at its Crossroads Arts District location.  More than 1,000 guests descended on the…

OHUB Kansas City

OHUB’s ‘unapologetic’ arrival in KC comes with $300K in support; ‘Cosby Show’ alum at Friday event

A familiar face from pop culture and $300,000 in entrepreneurial support are just two highlights tied to the Opportunity Hub’s new effort to build a more inclusive startup ecosystem in Kansas City.   “Many times, [building an inclusive community] involves hosting a series of frequently held, branded events that introduce community stakeholders to black and Latinx…