We added a new pod of desks, and we made them in the Maker Labs. Over the past few months, we’ve added a lot of new members, so we needed create some more space.
Our hotseats are the easiest and most affordable membership level we offer on a month-to-month basis. But what are they? Hotseats are open-area workstations that are available to members and day pass users on a first-come, first-served basis. They don’t have permanent owners and cannot be formally reserved.
Longtime Groover Labs member and Flint Hills Group founder Dave Cunningham launched the Whiskey Shelf app at the beginning of 2023. In February, the app went live on the App Store and Google Play. Read the latest updates about what Dave and his team are up to, how they came up with Whiskey Shelf (including experience with Campfire), and more!
We are thrilled to receive funding from the Building a Stronger Economy (BASE) 2.0 economic development grant for our CyberLink Infrastructure Expansion Project. BASE funds are intended to address infrastructure and economic development needs, and our grant award will allow us to continue critical projects we had to cancel or delay because of the Covid-19 global pandemic.
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
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.
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, 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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
