Startups Stories
KC-tested GoGetter uses AI to bring back human interaction in hiring talent (minus the middleman)
As a software contractor at Cerner for two years, Naga Rayapati saw more than 40 percent of his paycheck go into the pockets of middlemen, he said. “While the contractor puts in their heart and soul working for the company, these ‘preferred vendors’ reap the benefits,” said Rayapati, referring to third parties in the hiring…
Startup Road Trip: Patent-packed PowerBox puts productivity at the press of a button
Startland’s Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. PITTSBURG, KANSAS…
KCultivator Q&A: Tin Ho skewers failure, beetle larvae on path to building stronger founders
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. Startup challenges aren’t limited to products and processes, said Tin Ho. “My…
Eliminate the wait: JoCo-based DashNow offers diners mobile pay, check-splitting tech
Joseph Layne was tired of waiting. Seated at a busy restaurant, he stirred the mental ingredients for DashNow, a mobile-based service allowing diners to pay-and-go without waiting on a server to swipe a credit card or make change. “I realized I had been sitting there 10 minutes [waiting for the bill], while there was a…
War-torn Myanmar to North KC: Documentary gives taste of immigrant entrepreneur’s refugee journey
Kansas City’s culture is increasingly shifting to include and highlight immigrant entrepreneurship, said Danielle Lehman, though the true impact is still largely unappreciated. “I think there’s a disconnect between people who are enjoying the food [from immigrant-owned restaurants] and you’ll see a picture on instagram, but they never get to know the people that make…
