KC’s FitBark is among five national finalists in Get in the Ring competition for entrepreneurs
FitBark, a Kansas City company that makes a wireless activity monitor for dogs, is among five national finalists in this year’s Get in the Ring competition for entrepreneurs.
The Kauffman Foundation said Tuesday that the competition for business funding was pared from 250 applicants to 20 semifinalists before the field was narrowed to five. The five national finalists will present their businesses to a judging panel Nov. 6-7 in Kansas City.
The winner will represent the United States in an international contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Last year’s international winner was another Kansas City company, EyeVerify, which uses cellphones to scan eyeballs for security and identification purposes.
In addition to FitBark, the other national finalists this year are Briteseed of Chicago, a medical device maker; Hydrobee of Seattle, maker of a renewable energy platform to provide backup power for USB devices; Identified Technologies of Pittsburgh, which uses unmanned aerial systems to monitor hazardous environments; and Spot On Sciences of Austin, Texas, which markets devices to collect and store biological fluids for research and testing.
| The Star
This story was originally published October 7, 2014 at 3:38 PM with the headline "KC’s FitBark is among five national finalists in Get in the Ring competition for entrepreneurs."