Minority-Led Stories

Vinay Kumar, 9Star

New in KC: Austin transplant sees wide-open spaces for growth, startup potential

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what’ they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Hiring a team in Austin, Texas, was “literally impossible,” Vinay…

Kasim Hardaway; Photo courtesy of Nam Cu

Social Side Effect: Don’t call Kasim Hardaway an influencer (but do ask him about poké)

Editor’s note: Social Side Effect is an ongoing profile series that identifies the intersection between social influencing and entrepreneurship   Instagram stories are more than temporary snapshots. They’re a growing vehicle for influencer marketing in Kansas City, Kasim Hardaway explained.  “It was never something I set out to do. It kind of just happened,” Hardaway, a…

Play It Forward reunites South Kansas City-inspired brands, startup leaders

A bright and sunny pre-autumn day silhouetted the shadows of basketball fans lining up last weekend to enter Smith-Hale Middle School. As the smells from a food truck and sounds of laughter filled the parking lot, players inside readied themselves for a South Kansas City showcase. “We wanted to involve many entities that are directly…

Tina Peterson, Sprint Accelerator

KCultivator Q&A: Tina Peterson turned a career stop into a platform to accelerate dozens of startups

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. Living in Kansas City couldn’t have been further from Tina Peterson’s mind…

Thomas Sanchez and Anthony Shop, Social Driver

DC-based digital SWAT team descends on KC as Social Driver for mission-based clients

From being included in selfies to getting tagged on social media posts, carving a digital footprint is the best way for social movements to gain traction, said Thomas Sanchez, CEO and co-founder of Social Driver.  “We are the digital heavy hitters. I always kind of talk about us as almost being like the SWAT team…