Minority-Led Stories
KCultivator Q&A: Pennez’s Rebecca Dove on pushing past a world that says ‘No’
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 WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. Pennez is working to combat childhood illiteracy by bringing its technology to after-school programming, said founder Rebecca Dove. The…
Dream Muscle Coffee roasts hipster coffee shop stereotype with protein brew targeting KC’s east side
When life hands out lemons, some people turn them into lemonade. But what happens when it throws 300 pounds of coffee beans in your direction? You percolate new ideas that can disrupt an overcaffeinated market and strengthen a community, Timothy Shockley chuckled. “A friend of mine closed his [Shawnee] coffee shop and left [the beans]…
Pet innovators unleash market built on experiences, evolving relationships with dogs (Photos)
Meaningful relationships are no longer only between people, said Davide Rossi, discussing the rise of pet innovators and an emerging market built on experiences with four-legged family members. “They key thing is to recognize that the relationship between us and our pets has been changing,” said Rossi, co-founder of FitBark, a Kansas City-based pet tech…
Human capital: KC Mythbusters challenges Kansas City to rethink how it supports startups
A thriving startup ecosystem requires more stakeholders with skin in the game, said Eric Jorgenson. That means increasing direct participation — those actively and directly building or investing in startups that can potentially exit and see a talent and capital explosion that results in even newer startups — and de-emphasizing the need for and dependence…
Be fearlessly honest about diversity gap, Atlanta expert tells KC Techweek panelists (Photos)
Building an inclusive startup community begins with being unafraid to directly state the problem — a diversity gap — free of coded language related to race and gender, said Rodney Sampson. “I am unapologetically about being ‘color-brave’ and ‘race-brave’ — rather than being ‘color blind’ — because when you say ‘color blind,’ you’re saying you…
