Startups Stories
OHUB is sending five startups to SXSW, each infused with $50K; Meet the seven KC finalists
Iron sharpens iron, said Rodney Sampson, announcing 12 finalists — seven from Kansas City — for $250,000 in investments and a coveted demo day stage at SXSW in March. Each startup is rich with founders who have invested the time and energy to earn a payout from the ecosystem, said Sampson, founder of the Opportunity…
N-GAGE founder gets a grip on weight-lifting pain points (without giving up his day job)
N-GAGE GRIPS will have found success as a startup when Matt Leadbetter’s oldest son thinks he’s cool. “I remember thinking, ‘I have this thing in my head, I just need to make it,’ and I was kinda thinking at the time, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if when my little boy gets older, he’s impressed with…
Digital Sandbox welcomes four new startups led by emerging, veteran KC founders
The latest round of founders joining Digital Sandbox KC includes relative newcomers to the startup scene alongside a Fountain City Fintech alum and a key player behind one of Kansas City’s biggest exits. The proof-of-concept program announced Friday the addition of four new companies for its fourth quarter: TripleBlind, led by Riddhiman Das, who made…
Are venture-seeking women, minority founders at an unfair disadvantage in KC?
Editor’s note: The following is the second in a series of analyses of Startland’s list of Kansas City’s Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies. On stage with a handful of men, Erin Papworth faced a dilemma. The founder of Nav.It — one of the startups to recently complete Fountain City Fintech’s second accelerator cohort — found herself fighting…
Sisters flex startup strength with well-toned, high-performance Angel Competition Bikinis
Bold women are a force to be reckoned with, declared Karah Jones, and they should never feel the need to hide who they are. “Sometimes in this world it’s frowned upon for a female to be confident,” Jones, co-founder and CEO of Angel Competition Bikinis, said of her motivations for launching the Lenexa company —…
