Wow, we had no shortage of responses to yesterday's call for startup show-and-tell at the meetup! Very cool. Within hours the presenter spots were booked up for the next two Venture Fridays. This week we’ll learn about two budding KC developments, Lantern and TalentHelix.

Lantern’s Aaron Sloup (CEO) will show off the company’s new Android and iPhone app.

Lantern is a way to explore the world around you and “save big.” Through the app users can save 50% to 100% in-the-moment without buying anything upfront. From the Lantern website, merchants can control their own deals, drive business to their door exactly when they want it, save huge on commissions vs. other deal platforms, and get their money right now...

TalentHelix’s Riddhiman Das (CTO), Tam Tran (UX, IP) and Troy Norris (Marketing, Ops) will share a unique business model born in UMKC’s Institute of Entrepreneurship & Innovation. It’s made up of three service components: barter services, volunteer services, and contract work portal.

TalentHelix is a product of the realization that many people are caught up in a "career paradox.” You can't get the job you want because you don't have enough experience doing it, but you can't get the experience you need until someone hires you. As a result, there are millions of people, some incredibly well educated, who are stuck doing what their resume says they can do and not what they're truly capable of. TalentHelix is a combination of social networking and online auction solutions that connects people with the work that they love, by helping them leverage the potential they've gathered in their extended social networks...

As usual, Venture Friday happy hour doors open at 4 p.m. for food, bevs and entrepreneurial chatter. Startup show-and-tell will go on around 5-ish (as you know we like to keep things comfortably fluid). Join us in welcoming Lantern and TalentHelix to the meetup.