Gather the latest news about Groover Labs, Wichita Coworking, Startups, and Founders on our blog.
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.
QuickHire in the News
Wichita startup QuickHire is poised for continued growth following a funding round that raked in $1.4 million for founders Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall. It was the hiring technology company’s first institutional raise, with Gladney telling the WBJ that the company raised more than it expected.‘It was oversubscribed,” Gladney says. “Initially, it will go toward technology and continued expansion.” -Daniel McCoy, Reporter, Wichita Business Journal
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).
RECAP: 3D Printing classes
Groover Labs is excited to begin opening its Maker Labs facilities by offering a roster of classes, with plans to expand in the future to more classes, Maker Labs memberships, and open studio hours for class attendees. We recently held two 3D printing class sessions to begin our education outreach. Led by Executive Director Curt Gridley and Shop Lead Jeremiah Burian, we had students with different levels of experience and a variety of goals.
PLOT Construction Communications Press Release
Congrats to Groover Labs member Chris Callen on his new venture, PLOT Construction Communications, a startup set to change how the construction industry communicates. Callen, co-founder and CEO, announced pre-seed funding from Koch Industries and Seeking Alpha.
IdeaTek in the news
One of our members, IdeaTek, was in the news recently. On Monday, October 25, the Wichita Eagle, in partnership with the Kansas Reflector, published an article about how CARES Act relief money to the tune of $50 million has gone into expanding broadband internet access in rural communities across Kansas. Photo Courtesy of the Kansas Reflector.
PLOT Communications in the News
Chris Callen has a new startup company called PLOT, which aims to help construction teams communicate more efficiently. He has partnered with the Indianapolis-based venture studio High Alpha Innovation.
Partnership Showcase : FLEXcon
Groover Labs and Wichita State University are excited to announce their first Partnership Showcase, a panel discussion and networking event. The event takes place at Groover Labs on Monday, October 25 from 4-6 p.m., and we hope you’ll join us. In-person registration is here and registration for the virtual option is here. The Partnership Showcase will feature the FLEXcon Company in a discussion entitled “Roll-to-Roll Processing: What It Is and What Does It Mean for Wichita-Based Companies and Startups.”
Interview with Metal Shop Lead Jeremiah Burian
Meet Jeremiah Burian, the Metal Lab lead at Groover Labs. He’s one of our earliest hires, and he’s worked tirelessly since mid-2019 to bring the Maker Labs online. Burian has vast experience in metal works, completing a professional welder program at the Tulsa Welding School. He enjoys teaching, and he’s ready to lead his first Maker Labs-related class at Groover Labs starting Oct. 1. We sat down with Burian to discuss his upcoming four-week 3D Printing and Open Studio class.
An Interview with the KaaS Team
Knowledge as a Service, Inc., or “KaaS”, operates Ringorang®, an app-based software solution designed to disrupt corporate learning. Companies that subscribe to Ringorang will use the technology to ensure employees retain and apply critical information from each learning session. The KaaS team brings high energy to Groover Labs. They walk fast and talk faster.
3D Printing and Open Studio
Are you looking for an in-person 3D printing class in Wichita? Are you in the market for a 3D printer but not sure where to start? Do you already have some experience with 3D printing but want to build your skill level? If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, then our in-person 4-week 3D Printing and Open Studio class is for you.
Office Hours Upgrade
We're upgrading the Office Hours program! Starting in September, each Office Hours advisor will give a short talk about a topic relevant to their field. After each talk, we'll open the floor for discussion. We will then return to our regular Office Hours advisory time, where each advisor will be available to meet with eager entrepreneurs.
Interview with Chad Cox, Co-Founder of Optical Launch
Chad Cox is the co-founder of Optical Launch, a turnkey e-commerce application built to boost the optical experience of patients, customers, and optical staff. Born and raised in Wichita, Kan., Cox 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, in his free time, is a pretty good chef. Read our interview with him here.
QuickHire Featured in the New York Times
Photo credit: Doug Barrett for The New York Times. Click the link below to read a New York Times article published on August 19 about the strength of the startup boom in the U.S. during the pandemic. The article features Groover Labs members Deborah Gladney and Angela Angela Muhwezi-Hall and their tech startup QuickHire, a mobile job search platform directed at the service industry.
QuickHire Appears in Washington Post (Again!)
Groover Labs members Deborah Gladney and Angela Angela Muhwezi-Hall, along with their tech startup QuickHire, were mentioned in the Washington Post for the second time in less than two months. Click the link for the article.
Groover Labs Welcomes Bookkeeper Brittany Sweeney to Office Hours
Brittany Sweeney is the owner of Sweeney Bookkeeping, LLC. She has an extensive background in public and private bookkeeping, having worked in the field since 2010. Over the years, she has worked with a variety of different businesses. Brittany decided to open Sweeney Bookkeeping, LLC after seeing a need for affordable bookkeeping services for small businesses and start-ups. Her clients' success is what drives her.
ROTR 9.0 city visits postponed; $500K local investment commitment still on!
Due to growing concerns about the Delta variant, we have decided to postpone bringing the Rise of the Rest Bus to the Heartland this fall. We’ve long said that what makes our Road Trips so powerful is the opportunity to bring together individuals and organizations from across the community to celebrate what makes a city special. We are committed to delivering that experience for the five cities on the ROTR 9.0 agenda, and we hope to do so as soon as possible in 2022. Stay tuned for details.