Gather the latest news about Groover Labs, Wichita Coworking, Startups, and Founders on our blog.
Open Coworking Wednesdays
Groover Labs is inviting you to be our guest in the hotseat area each Wednesday for a limited time. You’ll have access to some of the best perks Groover Labs has to offer. We hope you’ll enjoy working here so much that you’ll want to become part of our growing community. Fun, interesting things happen at Groover Labs almost every day. We want you to be part of them!
A Conversation with JogAlong Stroller Founder and CEO Mike Dresher
We spoke with Dresher about the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Proof of Concept grant, why he applied for it, and how he plans to use the funds to get JogAlong Strollers into the hands of consumers. Below is our lightly edited conversation.
Campfire Registrations Open
Do you have an idea for a tech company but don’t know where to start? Maybe you just want to understand the tech industry? CAMPFIRE is the answer for you. CAMPFIRE is a 12-week course based on the Stanford University / YCombinator startup course taught every year.
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
Shock Talk: Innovators Podcast with Curt Gridley
Our co-founder and executive director Curt Gridley joined the Shock Talk: Innovators podcast to talk about his experience starting AmberWave Systems in Boston in the late 90’s. The episode airs on December 15. Click here for a link or check it out where you listen to podcasts.
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.
Member Profile: Brandon Paulseen and ICT Podcast
Brandon Paulseen is the founder and host of the ICT Podcast, which focuses on talking with people who do difficult things at the highest level to learn how they power through adversity and build businesses. He started it in 2017, and has now recorded more than 100 episodes, with a new episode airing each week. Paulseen began recording in the Groover Labs podcast studio last year.
We're Expanding Our Office Hours (Again and Again)
Jason Toevs and Brian Weins will join Foreman Law and NXTUS from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, January 15, for Groover Labs office hours. We started these free, informal meetings last year to make it easier for founders and startups to find and meet with local organizations and seasoned entrepreneurs as part of our mission to help strengthen Wichita’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Unified eSports Association Distributes $26,500 in Scholarships
Congratulations to Ramsey Jamoul and his team at Unified eSports Association. They completed their inaugural fall 2020 season, and they distributed more than $26,500 in scholarships to Unified Collegiate Esports Association teams who placed in the top four for each game.
In the News: Groover Labs in WBJ
The Greater Wichita Partnership has put together plans to spur downtown projects, attract talent, and create workforce programs. Now the Partnership is developing a new initiative — this one aimed specifically at accelerating entrepreneurship and high-growth startups.
New Addition to Monthly Office Hours: NXTUS
We started office hours to work with groups who want to support founders and startups. Foreman Law began hosting hours from 9 -12 on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month. We are pleased to announce NXTUS, an organization that helps launch and grow businesses, will hold office hours at the same time.
Member News: KingFit and Wichita
Entrepreneur Magazine placed Wichita as 1 of 8 heartland cities essential to the future of innovation. Wichita-Kansas City corridor share funders and talent. Notable mentions include KingFit, the company founded by Groover Labs coworking member Miguel Johns, whose mission is to battle diabetes.
Foreman Law Office Hours at Groover Labs
Foreman Law will host office hours at Groover Labs on 12/4 from 9-12. The attorneys at Foreman Law have years of experience working with startups and advising startups at all life cycle stages concerning legal and practical considerations related to formation, operation, and liquidity events.
Members in the News: QuickHire (Forbes)
When COVID-19 began raging in the U.S., Deborah Gladney was pregnant and working two jobs, while raising two children under five. Her sister, Angela Muhwezi-Hall, was in the hospital with the virus. The last thing you’d expect these sisters to do was start a business – which is what they did.
Welcome New Members: QuickHire
Sisters Angela and Deborah founded QuickHire earlier this year during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. QuickHire is an app that applies swipe-based features to connect job seekers with available jobs in industries like delivery, grocers, and manufacturers.
Has the coronavirus impacted your small business? The state wants to hear from you.
Has the coronavirus attacked your bottom line? The State of Kansas wants to hear from you so it can apply for a disaster declaration with the SBA.