Gather the latest news about Groover Labs, Wichita Coworking, Startups, and Founders on our blog.
ACCEL-KS OFFICE HOURS
Questions about your ACCEL-KS Grant Application? Register for Office Hours! We will host weekly office hours sessions over Zoom starting on Monday, August 31, through September 21 to answer questions about the application process.
ACCEL-KS Webinar on Thursday, August 27
We’re hosting a Zoom webinar on Thursday, August 27, at 10 a.m. CT. During the virtual event, we’ll walk you through the Accelerating Concept to Commercialization, or ACCEL-KS, proof of concept grant program in partnership with the Kansas Department of Commerce.
ACCEL-KS Founder Video: Grace Heritage Farms
Grace Heritage Farms, run by Sarah Easdon in East Central Kansas, is building virtual fencing for regenerative goat grazing. Rotational grazing keeps land and livestock healthy, but today it means physically dragging fence, which is slow and labor-intensive. Sarah's system puts a GPS collar on each goat that beeps near a set boundary and corrects it if the goat crosses.
Wednesday Office Hours with Sophia Drouhard/ Network Kansas
Meet Sophia Drouhard, Venture Investment Manager at Network Kansas! You’ll find her at Groover Labs in the mornings during Open Coworking on Wednesdays. We interviewed her to learn more about her and the work she does with Network Kansas.
ACCEL-KS Proof-of-Concept Application Portal Is Now Open
We’re opening applications for the second year of Accelerating Concept to Commercialization in Kansas, or ACCEL-KS, our proof-of-concept grant program in partnership with the Kansas Department of Commerce. If you’re a Kansas founder, and you’re building novel technologies, whether hardware or software, we want to hear from you.
Volunteer Interview Michael Hogan
At Groover Labs, we always have a handful of projects and improvements going on. As the Maker Labs and Facilities Manager, Jeremiah Burian, does an excellent job coordinating and managing all those moving parts, it wouldn’t be possible to get everything accomplished without our volunteers. Our volunteers are both experts in their own disciplines and usually looking to grow and improve with new projects. Meet Maker Labs Volunteer, Michael Hogan!
ACCEL-KS Founder Video: Go AcademiX
GO ACADEMIX, founded by Jocelyn Powell, is an all-in-one platform for allied health training programs, the schools that train CNAs, CMAs, phlebotomists, and licensed nurses. These programs usually juggle disconnected tools for enrollment, learning management, and certification tracking. GO ACADEMIX combines all of that, plus scheduling and compliance, in one connected system.
ACCEL-KS Founder Video: Planetary Talent
Planetary Talent, co-founded by Jacob Schlittenhardt, is reimagining the hiring process. Instead of a job posting, an employer shares its raw thinking about the hire they need; the platform builds a model of the ideal candidate and runs targeted ads to find them. Applicants get a model too, built around their story, and the two compare notes before a human sees a shortlist.
ACCEL-KS Founder Video: Lucille Group
Ask Lucille, a product of the Lucille Group founded by Andrea Amaro, solves this by using AI image recognition to quickly inventory a whole home, capturing and valuing belongings before a claim ever happens. After a catastrophe, many homeowners and renters can lose out on tens of thousands of dollars from lacking documentation on household items.
Volunteer Interview: Tom McGuire
Meet Maker Labs Volunteer, Tom McGuire! At Groover Labs, we always have a handful of projects and improvements going on. As the Maker Labs and Facilities Manager, Jeremiah Burian does an excellent job coordinating and managing all those moving parts, but it wouldn’t be possible to get everything accomplished without our volunteers.
ACCEL-KS Founder Video: Tacit Technology
Tacit Technologies, founded by Rye Kennedy, makes Jitterbug, a device that helps wind farm owners decrease maintenance costs by up to 30 percent. Jitterbug identifies the early signs that a wind turbine is failing, so operators can plan repairs before a breakdown.
Interview: Rachel Rains, Marketing Maven
The businesses and founders at Groover Labs are always working on various projects. We like to interview them to give the rest of the world a peek into what’s it like. We’re glad to have the Marketing Maven team, led by Rachel Rains, join Groover Labs! Not only have they recently moved into one of the offices, but Rachel has relocated from Great Bend to Wichita.
ACCEL-KS Founder Video: Toadworx
Founded by Logan Schraeder, Toadworx develops night vision accessories and hardware for civilians and law enforcement. Their first product, the BATL (formerly the LAM Mk1A), began as a notebook page drawing during a team brainstorming session around a kitchen table. Now, they’re shipping to customers.
We have Offices Available
We have a few small offices open in both our coworking and studio areas. From time to time, our members’ needs will change. Some have scaled up, and our facilities no longer suit their needs. you’ll be joining one of the most interesting and unique communities in Wichita. While we consider ourselves a tech hub, and a majority of our members work in the technology sector, we’re open to everyone.
Accel-KS Proof of concept grant comes to a close
On June 11, we gathered at Groover Labs to mark the conclusion of the inaugural Accelerating Concept to Commercialization in Kansas (ACCEL-KS) proof-of-concept grant program, and to celebrate the 25 founders who spent the past year turning their ideas into working hardware and software prototypes.
Planetary Talent Wins Kansas Startup of the Year
Congratulations to Groover Labs member and ACCEL-KS grant recipient Planetary Talent, which was named Kansas Tech Startup of the Year at FlagshipKansas.Tech’s Ad Astra Technology Summit on June 4.
Members in the news: KaaS Co-founder Launches Nonprofit
Groover Labs member and Knowledge as a Service co-founder Robert Feeney was recently featured in the Wichita Business Journal. KaaS operates Ringorang, a mobile app that provides short, daily nudges that are customized to specific goals and challenges.
TOADWORX Wins Shocker New Venture Competition
ACCEL-KS Proof-of-Concept grant recipient and Maker Lab member Toadworx took first place in Wichita State University’s Shocker New Venture Competition. Congratulations, Toadworx!
Reliant Merchant Services SBA Business Award
Longtime Groover Labs member Ryan Selenke, founder of Reliant Merchant Services, was recently recognized as one of the 2026 SBA Small Business of the Year nominees.
Members in the News: ACCEL-KS Grant Recipients
Last week, the Wichita Business Journal published a cover story about startups to watch in Wichita. All four selections are both Groover Labs members and ACCEL-KS grant recipients.