Healium partners with T-Mobile, transporting veterans to DC memorials via virtual Honor Flight
Veterans living in rural America can experience the sights and sounds of the nation’s war memorials in Washington D.C. thanks to a Kansas City-area startup’s virtual reality technology, powered by T‑Mobile 5G. “We are losing our World War II vet... Read more
Leah Hermida brought coffee home to KCK; her Windmill KC cafe already needs more space
In the shadow of the Kansas City skyline, new entrepreneurial energy is brewing in Wyandotte County, the childhood home of Leah Hermida. “I knew the community really well,” Hermida said from her pandemic-opened, Turner-based coffee shop, The Wi... Read more
Torch.AI set to create nearly 500 new KC jobs; why region’s ‘tapestry of talent’ means aggressive hiring ahead
A Leawood-based artificial intelligence firm on Friday announced plans to create nearly 500 full-time jobs in the region over the next five years — with the backing of the State of Kansas and the boost of a recent $30 million round. Building a... Read more
Startland News earns nine awards with first entry into Kansas journalism contest
Startland News celebrated its sixth birthday this week with news of its own — announcing nine awards from the Kansas Press Association for reporting and photography in 2020. The honors include four first-place wins for Startland News from among... Read more
Missouri House advances pro-entrepreneur bill that would lower taxes on self-starters
A vision to make Missouri more entrepreneur-friendly moved closer to reality Monday as state legislators passed a first-in-the-nation Right To Start Act, advancing the bill to the Senate on an 85-69 vote. “We made progress today to make Missouri... Read more
$1.7M+ crowdfunding haul puts ChessUp in attack position for production, hiring top talent
The makers of ChessUp are at a million-dollar advantage after the close of their first crowdfunding campaign. “It’s what we dreamed about and hoped for,” Jeff Wigh, CEO and one of three co-founders behind Bryght Labs, maker of ChessUp, said of... Read more
Newly honored as a ‘world-changing idea,’ Pure Pitch Rally opens 2021 contest applications
A premier Kansas City pitch competition that awards emerging tech founders on-the-spot cash funding, along with a series of business bootcamp experiences, was honored this week among Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas. The winners include... Read more
Generation Changemakers: 5 ‘Next Great Idea’ pitches funded at Shawnee Mission contest
Editor’s note: Startland is the parent organization of Startland News, though this report was produced independently by Startland News’ non-profit newsroom. Click here to read more about Startland’s education and real-world learning work. Gabby... Read more
Returning to the workplace? You might be surprised how much on your computer is worth stealing
Editor’s note: The following commentary, sponsored by NetStandard, is the first in a two-part series exploring information security. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Scott Minneman is the information security man... Read more
Splitsy takes top prize in Regnier challenge, adding to emerging fintech startup’s spring bump
The Regnier Venture Creation Challenge doled out more than $65,000 in cash prizes to emerging startups this spring, culminating in Friday’s big win for an up-and-coming fintech app. “We had a great competition,” Bryan Boots, managing director o... Read more