24 startups to pitch Monday at Startup@Kauffman Demo Day

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has announced a lineup of 24 startups slated to present Monday at the second Startup@Kauffman Demo Day, an event that will serve as the official opener for Global Entrepreneurship Week in Kansas City. It will be the second such event hosted this year by the Kauffman Foundation, following a Demo…

Mike Farmer presented his company, Leap2, at the Starup@Kauffman Demo Day in June (above) and is one of a handful of entrepreneurs from the June event returning to pitch Monday.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has announced a lineup of 24 startups slated to present Monday at the second Startup@Kauffman Demo Day, an event that will serve as the official opener for Global Entrepreneurship Week in Kansas City. 

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It will be the second such event hosted this year by the Kauffman Foundation, following a Demo Day in June that kicked off One Week KC.

The 24 startups, which represent a mix of industries and come from all across the Silicon Prairie (with a heavy concentration of companies from the Kansas City area), will present to an audience of prospective mentors, partners and others at Monday’s event, which runs from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m at the Kauffman Foundation’s Conference Center.

U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder will offer opening remarks, and entrepreneur/investor Christopher Schroeder will deliver a lunchtime keynote drawing on his experience with startup communities in Washington, D.C. and New York. 

Startup@Kauffman Demo Day is open to the public, but seating is limited. Advance registration is required and can be completed online.

For those unable to attend the event, the Kauffman Foundation will provide a live stream of the day’s proceedings. Silicon Prairie News will have more about that live stream on Monday. 

The entrepreneurial companies that will present at the Startup@Kauffman Demo Day were selected in a competitive process organized by the Kauffman Foundation’s entrepreneurship team. The selected startups (with descriptions courtesy of the Kauffman Foundation) are:

Artifact Bag Co.
(Omaha)

Offering totes, briefcases and aprons handmade with the finest waxed canvas and leather, Artifact Bag recently launched a new product line with emphasis on the mobile experience, including a zippered briefcase, smaller carry tote and artisan aprons. Founded in an Omaha basement in February 2010 with a commercial sewing machine acquired on Craigslist, Artifact Bag has grown to more than 30 machines, a 2,600-square-foot production space and triple-digit revenue without financing. Presenter: Chris Hughes (right)

Cognovant (Kansas City, Mo.
)

Cognovant is the creator of PocketHealth, a mobile personal health tool that helps people manage their health information and supports their decisions. The easy-to-use PocketHealth has the power to support data exchange and care management. Presenter: Joseph Ketcherside

Fannect (Stilwell, Kan.
)

A mobile competitive social network of sports fans, Fannect enables users to earn points for their team to prove who has the best fan base and to earn points individually to quantify their passion as fans. The application launches Nov. 14. Presenter: 
Hunter Browning

Fine Vines Artisanal Ketchup (Leawood, Kan.)

Launching in stores in early November, this high-quality, all-natural product line offers 12 ketchup flavor variations formulated to enhance the dining experience of consumers by making everyday foods more gourmet. Fine Vines is a returning presenter, having first shared its business at the inaugural Startup@Kauffman demo day in June. Presenter: 
Bruce Steinberg

Flywheel
(Omaha)

A premium WordPress hosting and management solution for Web designers, freelancers and creative agencies, Flywheel provides a scalable, secure and reliable platform for hosting WordPress sites and provides software tools to help ease the workflow of launching and managing multiple websites for clients. Presenter: Dusty Davidson

Folioboy (Kansas City, Mo.)

Folioboy equips individuals to design online portfolios in three easy steps—upload, create, publish—to share with colleges and employers. Founded in Pittsburgh, Folioboy has relocated to the urban-ecosphere of Kansas City. 
Presenter: Evan Kirsch (left)

FormZapper.com (Kansas City, Mo.)

FormZapper.com is a personalized form management system that allows users to design, share, review and approve customized forms, as well as store them online. 
Presenter: Andrew Kallenbach

Hello Holiday
(Omaha)

An e-commerce site that offers funding and distribution for emerging fashion designers, Hello Holiday aims to open access between designers and mainstream consumers and disrupt e-commerce by simplifying the manufacturing and distribution process. Presenter: Megan Hunt 

Instin
(Leawood, Kan.)

Instin builds mobile apps and websites for the education industry. The company’s first product, myHomework, is a top student planner in iOS and Android markets. Its follow-up product, teachers.io, recently launched. The product that allows teachers to easily share their profiles and assign homework to students has received positive response. Instin is a returning presenter, having first shared its business at the inaugural Startup@Kauffman demo day in June. Presenter: Keith Entzeroth

Integrated Roadways
(Kansas City, Mo.
)

Integrated Roadway’s road paving system lasts two to four times longer than traditional concrete and asphalt pavements, installs three times faster, reduces life-cycle roadway management expenses by 40 percent, and allows access to underlying utilities for easier repair. The company has completed its first production and installation project on an interstate highway. Integrated Roadways is a returning presenter, having first shared its business at the inaugural Startup@Kauffman demo day in June. Presenter: Tim Sylvester (above)

Lantern Software (Olathe, Kan.
)

Lantern connects users to small, local, authentic businesses by engaging them with high-value, real-time, location-based deals and rewards delivered via mobile apps and the Web. Consumers choose and redeem deals instantly, eliminating the need to buy vouchers or receive daily emails. 
Presenter: Aaron Sloup

Leap2 (Kansas City, Kan.)

This mobile application development company is seeking to revolutionize mobile search. The Leap2 Search Browser for iOS and Android provides search and browsing of the Web in real-time. The company has completed its first release of “Living Search,” which combines mobile search with instant Web and real-time social results. Leap2 is a returning presenter, having first shared its business at the inaugural Startup@Kauffman demo day in June. Presenter: Mike Farmer

Local Ruckus (Kansas City, Mo.)

This nationally viable, local events platform makes it easy to discover and share local events without hunting through newspapers or complicated event sites. Presenter: 
Adam Arredondo

MySoulSeat
(Columbia, Mo.)

The Soul Seat patented chair is designed to promote and preserve wellness at work and at home. Its unique design offers multiple active sitting solutions for the knowledge worker, crafts person, student or anyone concerned about the health effects of sedentary work styles and prolonged sitting. Presenter: John P. Matthews

Neighbor.ly
(Kansas City, Mo.)

The Neighbor.ly civic funding platform helps cities, neighborhoods and civic-minded organizations raise cash for civic projects. Individuals, companies and institutions can choose to invest in the places and projects they care about. Presenter: Jase Wilson

PaySAFE (Omaha, Neb.)

PaySAFE is an online closing table providing private buyers and sellers a convenient one-stop location to create, negotiate and close transactions with financial protection. It works as a trusted third party that collects, holds and disburses funds according to buyer and seller instructions. The online project management software allows both parties to communicate and agree when work is complete, so funds can be paid out.

Presenter: Matthew Medlock

PlanetReuse Marketplace (Kansas City, Mo.
)

The PlanetReuse Marketplace technology platform allows customers to locate, view, share and buy inventory from the 1,200 U.S. for-profit and non-profit reuse centers that sell used and surplus materials. Reuse centers populate the site with their inventories via InvenQuery, a proprietary technology that uses a mobile app to instantly post new inventory online upon intake and remove it at point of sale. Presenter: Nathan Benjamin

RareWire (Kansas City, Mo.)

RareWire provides an easy-to-use software platform for building rich-media, native mobile apps for smart phones and tablets for those who are not experienced Web developers. Market proliferation of smart phones, tablets, apps and app stores necessitates a cost-effective way to take existing content and create a meaningful, interactive end-user experience. RareWire completed its Beta phase and fully launched its platform on Oct. 8. RareWire is a returning presenter, having first shared its business at the inaugural Startup@Kauffman demo day in June. Presenter: Kirk Hasenzahl (above)

RecBob
(Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

A Facebook app that manages adult sports teams, RecBob sends game reminders, tracks who’s in and who’s out on game day, and automatically finds subs as needed. Recreational sports are inherently social but, until now, that social circle stopped at the team. With RecBob, “friend fans” can participate in the fun, too.
Presenter: John Schnipkoweit

RFP365 (Kansas City, Mo.
)

This Web-based platform facilitates the Request for Proposal (RFP) process, providing both issuers and responders time-saving features, configurable workflow and insightful analytics. RFP365 provides procurement and business development teams real-time reporting and knowledge management features in a collaborative environment. Presenter: 
David Hulsen

Sernomics (Warsaw, Mo.)

The Sernomics social media analytics tool provides retail and professional investors with powerful insights about global financial markets. Financially focused social messages are collected, and data is extrapolated using natural language processing. Analytic findings are available for subscribers via custom, easy-to-interpret data visualizations. Presenter: John McGovern

Snacks on Racks (Parkville, Mo.)

The newest venture for this rebagger and distributor of bulk and retail packaged snack foods to the food service industry is the addition of a line called “One For You,” single-serve, healthier snacks that include sugar-free, gluten-free, low-carb and heart-healthy items. Presenter: Jennifer Juarez

Stackify (Kansas City, Mo.)

The Stackify product allows companies to provide software developers remote access to their production servers without giving full administrative access. Developers can remotely troubleshoot their applications faster, with exact information needed, in a user-friendly format. Stackify finished version one of its product and released it to market Oct. 17 with highly positive initial response. Stackify is a returning presenter, having first shared its business at the inaugural Startup@Kauffman demo day in June. Presenter: Matt Watson

Threedee
(Walpole, Mass.)

An API for manufacturing, Threedee allows software developers to enable their programs to interact with 3-D printers, CNC machines and laser cutting systems. The system allows for extensive automation and possibilities for product customization in the manufacturing industry. The company’s founder recently relocated to Kansas City to advance the development of his business. Presenter: Michael Demarais

 

Credits: Photo of Hughes by Michael Quinlan. Photo of Kirsch from folioboy.com. Photos of Farmer, Sylvester and Hasenzahl from Kauffman Labs on Flickr.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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