Minority-Led Stories
Black and bookish: Founder hopes to turn pop-up page, eyeing coffee and book shop on KC’s east side
Jahna Riley loves the atmosphere of coffee shops. Connecting with others over coffee and a good book is a personal joy, she said, noting one glaring exception in most shops: inclusivity. “Kansas City has an amazing coffee scene, but it’s not necessarily one where I see my culture reflected in it,” Riley shared. “I want…
KCK trainer launches lifestyle, fitness app that pays users cashback for burning calories
Investing in your health just got a lot more literal with Deposit The Work — an app that pays users when they burn calories — explained Jasper Sanders. “I was trying to come up with a way for people to stay with fitness,” said Sanders, the app’s Kansas City, Kansas-based founder. “A lot of people…
Herd that beef was grass-fed? KC inventor’s cattle facial ID could drive steak through origin uncertainty
One of Kansas City’s most active serial inventors recently harvested his 88th patent, but it’s the revolutionary new way he’s using blockchain technology and augmented reality that’s turning heads (of cattle) down on the farm. Shekhar Gupta’s latest reveal: a facial recognition platform specifically designed to identify and track bovine for the bottom line — reducing…
KC designer’s new deck of cards celebrates Black icons who refused to play the hands they were dealt
Learning and celebrating Black history should be in the cards for more than just the month of February, Kearra Johnson said, unveiling a new design project that’s set to hit metro store shelves soon. “I really just want to create fun ways to get serious conversations started for the younger generation,” explained Johnson, founder of…
No ‘playing it safe’: Husband-wife team tackles Super Bowl demand with hometown-inspired tees
A family-owned side hustle is getting a major boost thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs second rush to a Super Bowl victory — and it couldn’t have come at a better time, explained Kendra’h Simmons. “Now everyone is in a tizzy,” said Simmons, who co-founded KreativeMindsKC in 2019 alongside her husband, Reggie, describing ways excitement for…
