Startups Stories

Co-founder trio invests $4.75M in KC RentTech startup Simplifyy, aiming for 500 percent growth in use

It’s about motivation, said Robert Henrichs, describing the co-founders of Kansas City-based Simplifyy’s decision to invest $4.75 million in the RentTech startup. “There is a lot of confidence around the venture because the founders have years of industry experience and recognize it is primed for disruption,” said Henrichs, who is responsible for marketing at Simplifyy….

Lindsey Branding, BacklotCars

New in KC: BacklotCars funding round lures Windy City tech talent back to KC

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. As Kansas City’s startup scene came online in 2012, Lindsey…

Katy Ibsen, founder, Sweet Jane

Lawrence-based Sweet Jane magazine offers safe space for women to get candid about cannabis

Satisfying her own curiosity, Katy Ibsen penned an article on cannabis opportunities for publishers.  “There were niche magazines being published, there were B2B magazines being published, there was ‘High Times’ and ‘Dope,’” Ibsen, now founder, editor and publisher of Sweet Jane magazine, said of her research for the piece.  A 10-year publishing vet with a…

Michael Wilson, United American Hemp

Cannabis founder’s advice: Weed out the bad seeds; run green startups like real businesses

Cannabis might seem like it presents a Wild West frontier for entrepreneurs looking to strike green, said Michael Wilson, but would-be founders must cultivate a plan grounded in common sense — and the law. “In the industrial hemp or marijuana space, if you want to build a successful business, run it like a real damn…

Kansas City Public Schools High School Girls Cybersecurity and Technology Summit, Fishtech Group

Cyber threats and opportunities: Why did 50+ KC schoolgirls get a peek at Fishtech’s high-security campus?

You never know when an opportunity will find you, Alex Vendetti told a group of Kansas City high school girls touring the Fishtech Group cybersecurity campus.  “I was a hairstylist before this,” Vendetti, a project manager at Fishtech, told groups of students making their ways through the cybersecurity startup’s sprawling Martin City facilities Friday. The…