Startups Stories

Sharmil Desai, Menufy

Menufy sale scales HungerRush to more than 500 workers, 20,000 restaurants, KC co-founder says

Growth isn’t new to the menu for Menufy’s Leawood based team, said Sharmil Desai, noting the online platform for restaurants had grown to 140 employees before its freshly announced acquisition by HungerRush. “I can’t think of any point when Menufy has not been adding and expanding,” Desai, co-founder and CEO of Menufy, told Startland News….

Leawood-based online restaurant platform Menufy acquired by hungry Houston cloud company

A rapidly scaling Leawood tech company that helped dozens of Kansas City restaurants, as well as eateries across 3,000 other cities, survive the pandemic has sold to a Houston-based cloud software provider for the restaurant industry. Menufy’s vast online food ordering platform and network is expected to be incorporated into the HungerRush 360 cloud POS…

Kansas City-made fitness apps flex tactics to monetize training’s trend toward tech

Jake Heyen’s Fitic exercises its potential at the intersection of pandemic-pumped fitness and influencer marketing industries, the Kansas City founder said, detailing the intertwined world of fitness-minded consumers and content creators. “We love the fact that we sit within two industries that are poised for explosive growth going forward,” said Heyen, who also serves as…

Hunter Browning and Ben Schultz, LaborChart

Exit to watch: Top startup LaborChart sells in a deal under construction for generations

LaborChart, one of Kansas City’s leading startups, has sold to a California-based giant in construction management — a deal that proves hard work and determination pay off, its founder said.  The startup was sold to Procore Technologies, the companies announced Friday, noting in a release the deal is expected to further innovate the world of construction…

Jeff Short, Overflow

Storytelling startup rewrites the pandemic narrative, scaling into new success, downtown space 

Editor’s note: The following story — a spotlight on a member of the Plexpod community — is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. Stories are powerful, Jeff Short said, recalling ways his storytelling startup, Overflow, has worked to help Kansas Citians harness…