News Stories

Kelce Jam set for April 28: KC’s favorite tight-end is bringing a new music festival in time for NFL Draft weekend

The celebration continues, said Travis Kelce, announcing Tuesday his first-ever personal music festival — Kelce Jam — on the heels of the star Chiefs player’s Super Bowl victory alongside Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and the two-time championship squad. “The Super Bowl victory lap is not over yet,” Kelce said in a press release announcing the April…

Fast-growing KC startup closes $20M in Series B funding to accelerate genetic progress in cattle

A well-muscled funding round is expected to help Lenexa-based Vytelle expand its global operations after having already scaled the agtech startup’s breakthrough in vitro fertilization, data capture, and AI-driven genetics tech to be easily accessed by more than half of the U.S. cow herd. “This is indicative of strong market interest in our products and…

Blerdy for 30: KC comic creator’s documentary takes Black nerd culture from niche to your screen

A recently launched Kansas City entertainment company hopes to become the digital epicenter of “Blerd” — shorthand for Black nerd — content, said Brandon Calloway. Now the founder of Blerd TV, Calloway debuted the Blerd YouTube channel in January, where more than 3,000 subscribers already have access to free content, he said. However, that represents…

16 small businesses in 60 seconds: Did you spot your favorite entrepreneur in the Royals’ new campaign?

It’s a new season, but longtime connections fly deep into the outfield for the Kansas City Royals and a fandom that’s supported them for decades. Among those most impacted: entrepreneurs whose stories run along the same baseline as the championship-winning baseball club. “It might sound crazy, but I honestly credit a lot of our growth…

Now renting nostalgia: Hands-on classic car startup drives ‘look but don’t touch’ into the past

Ryan Wager isn’t just renting out classic cars with his new startup, he shared, he’s loaning out memories. North Kansas City-based RND — launched earlier this year — allows community members and visitors to take classic, RND-restored cars — like his own 1958 Chevy Corvette — for a spin with daily rentals. Want to take…