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SPN Funny Page: “The Company T-Shirt” by Growthology Lab
We’ve all heard the bit about “the first thing we did, was make our company t-shirts” and how that reflects misaligned priorities. If it is such a long running joke, why does it still happen so much? I believe it is because it as an easy thing to do and figure out in the world…
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Hidrate Inc. completes angel round
Smart water bottle company Hidrate, based in Minneapolis, raised $700,000 in convertible debt and option financing from undisclosed investors on April 15. This round of angel funding brings the company’s total raise to nearly $3 million since its founding in 2014. The company’s Kickstarter campaign raised over $600,000, and the company produced 17,000 bottles within…
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BuddyBrands on the cutting edge of pet science
Wichita-based BuddyBrands started by building better beds to help canines get their sleep. The company has expanded its offerings to include so much more. The BuddyRest story begins seven years ago when company Co-founder, Trevor Crotts’ labradoodle, Buddy, visited the vet. Crotts happened to be a corporate trainer in the mattress industry at the time,…
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Columbia, Missouri-based StoryUP creates Healium…virtual escapes to quiet the mind
Sarah Hill, founder and CEO of StoryUP is building technology to help people cope more effectively and peacefully with stress in their lives. The company has developed the world’s first augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) platform powered by wearables that “listen” to user’s brainwaves and biometrics. Healium’s mindfulness platform is powered by the…
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Midwest eSports puts the “sport” in video gaming
Video gaming has always been a fiercely competitive pastime. Those who are old enough surely remember hunkering down into a game after school and bickering with their siblings over the Atari joystick for a crack at Pitfall! or Frogger. (For those who are too young to have relished in the joy of the successful virtual…
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TruckPark gears up to launch parking app for truck drivers
TruckPark is set to launch its TruckPark App on Monday, May 6, bringing the company’s parking platform live to truck drivers over the road. TruckPark is a real-time inventory management and booking platform that connects truck drivers with safe and available parking along their routes. The company is based in Chicago, the nation’s third…
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KC-based BacklotCars raises $25 million
On April 15, BacklotCars of Kansas City, Missouri announced a $25 million Series B raise. BacklotCars cars has raised more than $38 million since inception. BacklotCars provides an online mechanism for wholesale car buyers to purchase cars without going to physical locations for auctions. The company has built tools for inspections – both physical and…
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SPN Funny Page: “The Gender Tax” by Growthology Lab
“I know these are your ideas, but I like them and I’m not going to give them up as my own.” Gross, right? Unfortunately, I’ve been told this directly when I confronted someone taking credit for the work I was doing. Frustrating experience, yes. No it doesn’t stop me from pursuing my life and no,…
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Ryan Wegenast wants to help you solve your problems
Ryan Wegenast has built a business around helping innovators find the secret sauce to scaling, growing, building, moving, developing and winning at their ventures. The magic ingredient is the same every time, is infinitely regenerating, and is already in his client’s possession. They just don’t realize it yet. The ingredient: potential. But not just potential.…
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Sling Health Demo Day at Cortex in St. Louis draws 20 teams
Sling Health, founded in 2013 at Washington University in St. Louis, hosted the 7th annual Demo Day at Cortex Innovation Community on Saturday, April 13. Sling Health is a national network of student-run biotechnology incubator with chapters at Harvard, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, LSU, Georgia Tech, Emory, Drexel, Texas Tech, and UCLA.…