Gather the latest news about Groover Labs, Wichita Coworking, Startups, and Founders on our blog.
Your New Workspace is Ready!
We just wrapped renovations in our studio area. With that comes a rare opportunity– new Offices and Workspaces are now available for month-to-month memberships.
Crain Capital Property Added to Historic Register
Crain Capital, a real estate investment firm, was recently featured in the Wichita Eagle for adding a property to the Kansas Historic Register near the Wichita Biomedical Campus
Member Profile: Ryan Selenke and Reliant Merchant Services
Ryan Selenke of Reliant Merchant Services joined Groover Labs in Feb 2023, offering top POS & customer care services to businesses. More in our interview.
Current and Former Groover Labs Members Presenting at Wichita Startup Week
We are excited to once again host Wichita Startup Week (WSW) November 13-17. Now in its third year, WSW moved from October to November this year to align with Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW). Several of our members are presenting this read. There are five tracks and 36 events. Read our blog post to learn more.
Members in the News: Flint Hills Group, Dave Cunningham, and Whiskey Shelf
Longtime Groover Labs member and Flint Hills Group founder Dave Cunningham launched the Whiskey Shelf app at the beginning of 2023. In February, the app went live on the App Store and Google Play. Read the latest updates about what Dave and his team are up to, how they came up with Whiskey Shelf (including experience with Campfire), and more!
Local Software Firm Flint Hills Group Launches Whiskey Shelf App
Dave Cunningham, founder and CEO of Flint Hills Group and Groover Labs early adopter, has spent the past several months with his team building a new mobile app for whiskey lovers. Dave, a whiskey enthusiast himself, drew inspiration for the app while leading Campfire, a 12-week startup course taught at Groover Labs.
Members in the News: WorkTorch
Congrats to Groover Labs members WorkTorch on their article appearing in Essence Magazine! WorkTorch, formerly known as QuickHire, recently announced a $2.2M raise as well as a rebranding of the startup’s focus to incorporate not just job discover but also career development.
Interview with WorkTorch Cofounders
Longtime Groover Labs members Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall, cofounders of WorkTorch, recently announced a $2.2M seed round and rebrand (formerly QuickHire). Deborah and Angela, as well as Caleb Bill, have played an integral role in our success.
PLOT Wins TAUC Startup Battle
Congratulations to Wichita startup PLOT Jobsite Management for their recent win at the Association of Union Construction Industrial Grade Innovation Conference and Expo Startup Battle.
Members in the News: QuickHire on Washington Post Live on 6/22
On Tuesday, June 21, Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall, co-founders of QuickHire and Groover Labs members, were featured on Washington Post Live, the Post’s live journalism platform. Gladney and Muhwezi-Hall were interviewed by the Post’s technology and policy reporter Cat Zakrzewski.
Member Profile: Alyssa McGinn
Meet Alyssa McGinn, managing director of business development for infoFluency, a data and analytics visualization company. She's also co-founder of Luminous, a resource for VCs and startups. Read our interview with here here
Member Profile: Tate Hancock
Tate Hancock joined Groover Labs in April 2021 on the recommendation of one of our members. His startup, TMW Family Company, designs and manufactures the Wall Nanny, a patented baby gate wall protector. We talked with Tate about his journey from chiropractor to entrepreneur.
Members in the News: QuickHire
QuickHire is in the news again. CNBC recently wrote an article about them for CNBC.com. And Wired, the magazine that analyzes how tech influences society, published a story about them at the end of January.
Six Wichita Startups to Watch in 2022
The below feature in this week’s Wichita Business Journal lists six local startups to watch in 2022. Three of those six are members at Groover Labs. Read about out members below. Read the entire article at the business journal by clicking here.
KaaS in the News
One of downtown Wichita’s most historic buildings will soon house innovation — a move that has a former Silicon Valley startup sinking deeper roots in an emerging Heartland tech hub as it rapidly expands. Knowledge as a Service, Inc. (KaaS), maker of Ringorang, inked a five-year lease agreement and strategic partnership with Bonavia Properties earlier this month, securing 5,500 square feet of office space within the historic Garvey Center Plaza along Douglas Place, the companies said.
PLOT Hires Chad Cox as Head of Engineering
Plot Communications has hired Chad Cox as their new Head of Engineering. Chad has a deep startup background, most recently as co-founder of Appointment Launch, a patient onboarding and e-commerce application built to boost the optical experience of patients, customers, and optical staff. Born and raised in Wichita, KS, Chad is a veteran who served in the U.S. Army’s 3rd Ranger Battalion stationed in Ft. Benning, GA. He has a degree in computer science from Wichita State University and is passionate about his hometown, innovation, software, and startup
KaaS in the News
Startup technology company Knowledge as a Service Inc. (KaaS) has found its Wichita location in the Garvey Center downtown. The business has signed a five-year lease on office space in the building as part of an agreement with Bonavia Properties that included investment in the new company through two avenues. Read the full article in the Wichita Business Journal here. Read KaaS’ press release here.
Member Media Roundup: QuickHire
Groover Labs member QuickHire’s media mentions have taken off! Their most recent announcement, that the startup raised $1.41 million—an oversubscribed round—also highlighted a remarkable fact: sisters Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall became the first Black women in Kansas to raise at least a million dollars in capita
QuickHire in the News
The Wichita sisters who founded a dating app-style platform matching job seekers with employers have raised $1.41 million for their startup, QuickHire. Deborah Gladney, 34, and Angela Muhwezi-Hall, 31, became the first Black women in Kansas to raise at least a million dollars in capital, according to Project Diane, which tracks minority women-led startups. “Most of these funds, especially when they are making early-stage investments, they are making investments in the people,” Gladney said. QuickHire hit the million-dollar fundraising milestone in a seed round led by MATH Venture Partners.
QuickHire Press Release
QuickHire, a career discovery platform working with service workers to find job and advancement opportunities, announces an oversubscribed $1.41 million financing round, led by MATH Venture Partners.
The funding will go towards technology investments and team expansion of this female, African American-run company, led by co-founders Deborah Gladney (34) and Angela Muhwezi-Hall (31).