Minority-Led Stories
nbkc launches Entrepreneur in Residence incubator: ‘I have a whole company behind me’
Less than a year after its inaugural Fountain City Fintech accelerator debuted, nbkc bank has launched a new incubator program designed to tackle common banking industry problems with start-up-style ideation, problem solving, and tenacity, said Megan Darnell. The goal: building new companies along the way, the nbkc program manager said. “Kansas City has every single…
Jolie Justus’ open letter to startups: In many ways, the city has failed you — let’s do better together
[Editor’s note: Startland News invited Kansas City mayoral candidates Jolie Justus and Quinton Lucas to compose open letters to address their potential constituents in KC’s entrepreneur community of startups, makers, creatives and risk-takers. Justus’ response is below. Lucas did not participate. The vote is set for Tuesday, June 18.] I trust this community to see…
Forget the war on drugs — Marijuana is a war on chronic pain, says founder in ProjectUK cohort
Don’t look at marijuana through a societal lens, said Jessica Sanders. Instead view the natural substance as a potential life-saving measure. “My mother had multiple sclerosis and seeing her suffer really changed a lot about me,” explained Sanders, founder of Lisa’s Gifts — a high-quality THC extraction facility named after Sanders’ mom, expected to provide and…
We Grow KC investment summit aims to harness opportunity zones to empower neighborhood social fabric
Investment is a two-way street that can have a positive impact on both investors and community residents, said Dianne Cleaver. A new gathering — the June 26-27 We Grow KC Opportunity Zones Investor Summit — aims to bridge the potential divide between such neighbors with the back of Cleaver’s Urban Neighborhoods Initiative, the Ewing Marion…
Local Legends unplugs Westport eSports gaming center; founder vows his vision won’t be reduced by May shooting
The doors at 3933 Main St. are locked tight, but the startup journey once housed inside them is far from over, teased AbdulRasheed Yahaya. “Local Legends isn’t going anywhere … unless we’re talking about the video game truck. That’s going everywhere,” said Yahaya, owner of Local Legends Gaming — an eSports and gaming business that…





