Lifting the burden: Social Afterlife oversees social media accounts of lost loved ones
Receiving a birthday notification on a social media platform is a common source of angst for Ben Hammes’ customers, the founder of Social Afterlife said. “We handle the memorialization or removal of social media for the deceased on behalf of t... Read more
When philanthropy is used to correct a market failure, there is potential for profit, said Gary White, co-founder and CEO of Water.org. “The poor should not necessarily be seen as a problem to be solved but a market to be served,” White told a r... Read more
Aware Vehicles accelerates pilot-free drone development thanks to IgniteX partnership with Black & Veatch
Drones are one step closer to becoming completely automated with the help of Aware Vehicles, a finalist in the IgniteX Accelerator. The Kansas City-based tech startup focuses on non-human interaction for the flight, charge and data collection o... Read more
Social Side Effect: Don’t call Kasim Hardaway an influencer (but do ask him about poké)
Editor’s note: Social Side Effect is an ongoing profile series that identifies the intersection between social influencing and entrepreneurship Instagram stories are more than temporary snapshots. They’re a growing vehicle for influencer marke... Read more
A bright and sunny pre-autumn day silhouetted the shadows of basketball fans lining up last weekend to enter Smith-Hale Middle School. As the smells from a food truck and sounds of laughter filled the parking lot, players inside readied themselv... Read more
KCultivator Q&A: Tina Peterson turned a career stop into a platform to accelerate dozens of startups
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 ne... Read more
Global, KC investors charge Grandview-based battery innovator with 8-figure funding round
A Grandview-based leader in battery technology is building a charge for expansion as Spear Power Systems announced this week an eight-figure funding round with world-spanning reach and headline-grabbing international investors. “We are pleased w... Read more
Techstars Kansas City returning in 2020, fully funded by globe-spanning seed accelerator
Techstars believes in Kansas City’s potential because of its proven track record, said Lesa Mitchell, announcing the 2020 return of the seed accelerator to the City of Fountains following a brief hiatus. “I am the luckiest person on the face of... Read more
Hungry entrepreneurs could be the leading reason behind the return of Pitch Perfect bootcamp at the Enterprise Center in Johnson County. “[We heard from the community that] it was one of the best programs in the city for [early-stage founders],... Read more
Sprint, DFA open applications for parallel programs within 2020 Corporate Accelerator
When one of Kansas City’s most popular corporate accelerators returns in the spring, its cohort will be more meaningfully defined and tailored to its twin partner industries — 5G mobile technology and agtech/dairy food products, said Ari DeGrote... Read more