Solutions Lab Ventures - A Showcase of Tech Entrepreneurs Journey through the KC Startup Ecosystem
KC Digital Drive will showcase Kansas City based emerging tech startups from our Solutions Lab Ventures program. Companies will discuss their journeys, innovations, products and solutions. Panelists will also talk about Kansas City and regional programs they have been a part of including: LaunchKC, Digital Sandbox, Pure Pitch Rally, Digital Health KC, Pipeline, KCInvestED, Keystone Angels, Growth Mentoring Services (ECJC), Social Venture Studios, SBDC, NXTUS, NMotion, Osage Orange, Invest Midwest and Mid X Midwest. Audience will have time to ask questions as well as networking time that will allow you to dig deeper with both the panelists and all other entrepreneurs and advisors in the room.
Panelists:
Kieri Olmstead - Sova
Sova RQ is the B2B relational intelligence platform that measures the relationships behind workplace culture, showing how people connect, communicate, handle conflict, and giving each person a norm-referenced RQ Index and archetype profile so organizations can build stronger teams and leaders.
Kieri Olmstead is the founder and CEO of Sova, the relational intelligence platform she architected, coded, and launched herself. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with nearly a decade of clinical practice, she holds a Master’s in Family Science, wrote her thesis on relationships, and has been voted Kansas City’s top Marriage and Family Therapist five consecutive years by KC Magazine, The Pitch KC, and the Kansas City Star. Kieri founded and runs Simple Empathy, her own private practice, and spent a decade in B2B sales before that. Under her leadership, Sova was named a Top 10 Startup to Watch by Startland News, and Kieri was nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Keystone Awards. She is a Pipeline Entrepreneurs Fellow.
Thad Diamond - Magis
Magis gives treatment courts a real-time picture of every participant by turning courtroom audio and handwritten notes into a live dashboard for the judge, replacing paper files and spreadsheets.
Thad Diamond is co-founder of Magis, a Kansas City startup building real-time data infrastructure for treatment courts, backed by Osage Orange Venture Studio. He is also founder and CEO of DiamondWorks AI, a fractional Chief AI Officer and AI delivery firm. Thad was a founding engineer on Amazon Alexa and led product at CVS Health across roughly 1,000 HealthHUB locations, after healthcare IT leadership at Cerner and engineering at Microsoft. He holds a CS degree from Yale and an MBA from Chicago Booth.
Paul Ebb - VOISS
VOISS is a software application that helps youth, ages 11-18, develop social skills using immersive XR and VR scenarios. Developed by VOISS INC., the platform is backed by years of research conducted at the #1 ranked Special Education program in the country at the University of Kansas. VOISS provides students with a safe and immersive learning environment while providing educators and practitioners with tools to assess students, monitor progress and access resources to help them extend social skill learning into the real world. Learn more about VOISS at voissxr.com.
Paul Epp is a technology entrepreneur and media producer. As a co-founder of Foster Care Technologies, he developed web applications for the behavioral health industry and led the company from startup to acquisition (2014-2023). As a musician and media producer, he has produced audiobooks, music recordings, and animated videos for youth. He is now the Co-Founder and CEO of VOISS INC., which provides a web-based social skills learning solution for youth that was developed by researchers at the #1-ranked Special Education program at the University of Kansas.
Amy Steinhour - GiftWellSoon
GiftWellSoon is a technology company built on the foundation of a free support registry, helping individuals and families navigate life's most difficult moments while expanding partnerships with healthcare organizations, employers, and nonprofits to make practical support more accessible.
Amy Steinhour, MMS, PA-C, is the Founder and CEO of GiftWellSoon and a physician assistant with 18 years of experience in orthopedic surgery, emergency medicine, and academia. Inspired by her own breast cancer experience, Amy founded GiftWellSoon to make it easier for individuals and families to access meaningful support during life's most challenging moments. What began as a free online support registry is evolving into a technology company partnering with healthcare organizations, employers, and nonprofits to better connect people with the support they need. Amy is passionate about using technology to bridge gaps in care and turn community compassion into meaningful action.