The final episode of Season 3 of City Entrepreneur in KC.

Toby Rush grew up on a Kansas farm, built a startup that nearly ran out of cash, and turned it into a $100 million facial recognition exit before Face ID. In this episode, he shares the real story behind EyeVerify’s deal with Alibaba, what he learned from almost losing everything, and how he’s now building Ideem, a new venture shaping global innovation from Saudi Arabia.Visit https://www.kcsourcelink.com/ for all business resources.

Check out kcsourcelink.org for business resources. Connect with Terrell Jolly http://terrelljolly.com/

Becca Castro, Director of KCSourceLink, shares how being overlooked in corporate America shaped the way she leads today. From studying five different majors to exploring teaching and art, she found her voice through creativity and curiosity—not titles. In this episode of City Entrepreneur, Becca reveals how KCSourceLink is reimagining leadership and building a more inclusive, innovative future for Kansas City’s entrepreneurs.

Victor Hwang, founder of Right to Start, drove through all 50 states to see what entrepreneurship really looks like across America. Growing up with immigrant parents, Victor saw opportunity differently — and on this road trip, he found out that most stereotypes about “red states” and “blue states” miss the truth. Entrepreneurs, he says, are the ones quietly building the bridges that still hold this country together.In this episode of City Entrepreneur, Victor shares what he learned about community, division, and why entrepreneurs often die deaths of a thousand cuts — but might just be the only thing that unites us.

Shaniqua Jones-Williams built SendBack after her DIY wedding left her drowning in returns. Instead of waiting in lines, boxing items, and dealing with shipping labels, she imagined a service that comes to your door, repackages everything, and sends it back for you. In this episode of City Entrepreneur, Shaniqua shares how she turned everyday frustration into a logistics startup, the challenges of building from St. Louis, and what it takes to solve a billion-dollar problem that big companies ignored.

When a $30K hotline told him it was the only way to launch his idea, Jon Ruis taught himself to code and built EB Systems from his dorm room. Ten years later, his Bluetooth beacon technology is tackling city-wide challenges — from managing crowds and traffic to helping local businesses thrive during global events

Jonaie Johnson, founder of Interplay, built a smart dog crate startup in Kansas City, pitched it on global stages in Paris, joined Techstars, and is now moving to Chicago. In this episode of City Entrepreneur, she talks about the grind of building hardware, what’s missing in KC’s startup scene, and why some founders feel they have to leave to grow.

Salubata is a Nigerian-born startup turning plastic waste into customizable, recycled shoes. In this episode of City Entrepreneur, co-founder Yewande Akinse shares how the journey began in Nigeria, expanded to Paris through a global accelerator, and landed in Kansas City with Techstars backing.

From tackling the plastic waste crisis to building a scalable company with global impact, this is the story of how Salubata is reshaping fashion and sustainability through innovation.

3PL Playbook: Triage, Inventory & Scaling After a Celebrity Viral MomentJeff, founder of Cybership — a fulfillment & logistics partner for DTC brands — tells the unvarnished story of what happens when a client goes viral. He explains how Cybership absorbed the demand spike after a Taylor Swift mention, the fulfillment and product tweaks that mattered, and the systems they put in place to turn chaos into sustainable revenue.He also gets candid about quitting college to run the business, the operational and cash pressures of hypergrowth, and the specific founder tradeoffs that made scaling possible. Practical, no hype — for founders, operators, and anyone who runs logistics for fast-growing consumer brands.