Startups Stories

Neelima Parasker, SnapIT Solutions

Neelima Parasker planned for snow days — COVID came instead; How SnapIT is weathering the pandemic in a new space

More than 20,000 square feet of silence greeted Neelima Parasker as she returned to work this week after Stay at Home orders lifted.  “Monday we opened up, but really, to very few people,” Parasker, CEO of SnapIT Solutions, said of the startup’s reentry to the traditional workforce — this time, inside a new office space…

Kashif Hasnie, Air Traffic Awareness

Startup veteran pilots Air Traffic Awareness, wants ‘Silicon Valley of Aviation’ to truly take flight

A climbing Kansas City startup could save lives by bridging technology gaps in air travel, said Kashif Hasnie.  “Collisions are among the top causes of aircraft accidents in the world,” explained Hasnie, CEO of Air Traffic Awareness.  First launched as a class project at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Air Traffic Awareness has developed patent-pending,…

Sean Calderon and Zach Schneller, Oak Media; and Lisa Bledsoe, Tea-Biotics Kombucha

Young agency bottles digital savvy for startup where co-founder brewed booch

From booch bottler to boss, Zack Schneller isn’t forgetting his Tea-Biotics roots as he embarks on his own startup journey — which has him helping his former employer with an eCommerce emergence and social media scale up.  “We did a free trial for them, which happened to fall on National Kombucha Day,” Schneller, co-founder of Oak…

Beau Williams, Julep

Julep owner: KCMO liquor rules could drown bar-restaurants already struggling to reopen

As locally owned bars and restaurants start to reopen, a new threat to their success is emerging — city regulations designed in a pre-pandemic world.  “There’s a lot of unintended consequences from these mandated shutdowns that need to be addressed from a legal standpoint,” explained Beau Williams, owner of Julep Cocktail Club in Westport.  While…

Techstars KC returns: Meet 10 startups bringing diverse solutions to the rebooted accelerator 

The hotly anticipated Techstars Kansas City 2020 accelerator class features startups enabling greater transparency and access in healthcare, the food supply, and justice for all, said Lesa Mitchell. Two of the ventures are based in St. Louis. “We’re also welcoming companies with new platforms and new business models that will attract and facilitate broader talent…