STARTUPS WANT YOU

By Daniel McCoy – Reporter, Wichita Business Journal

Stakeholders say everyone can play a role in building Wichita's startup future

Less than two years ago, QuickHire was still largely just a dream of its founders that was spurred by a pandemic pivot. 

Last month, co-owners Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall closed on a $1.4 million funding round that they say will drive new growth for their technology platform for the HR industry.

As the daughters of Ugandan immigrants, the sisters says the raise was validation of both their idea and of a new generation of startups brewing in Wichita. 

“We hope it sheds a light for entrepreneurs that may not look like traditional founders,” Gladney says.

Deborah Gladney, left, and Angela Muhwezi-Hall officially launched their QuickHire app from Wichita last year.

But the story behind QuickHire’s growth is also symbolic of what local entrepreneurial stakeholders say are some of the most important factors in making the city a hub for startups. 

The environment for local startups has improved in the past five years, they say, but the next big leap will come from an all-hands-on-deck approach.

“The ‘status quo’ have to get involved more than they are,” says Josh Oeding, CEO of local entrepreneurial organization NXTUS Inc. “That’s my message (to Wichita): Get in the game.”

Read the full story at https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2021/12/03/wichita-as-a-startup-hub.html