News Stories

Olive Cooke, Sylvia Metta, and Kim Conyers Cauldron Collective

Vegan spell falls over West Bottoms restaurant as this trio’s plant-based potions ring in a new year

Every witch needs a coven, said Olive Cooke, Sylvia Metta and Kim Conyers; so they conjured a community in the West Bottoms to serve their vegan bites.  Cauldron Collective — a plant-based, comfort food venture co-founded by self-proclaimed “cooking witches” Cooke, Metta and Conyers in January 2021 — made its mark in Kansas City through…

Michael Odupitan, Omni Circle Group; photo by @BriJoRaePusch-Zuniga

Topeka is building its own startup hub; a new group is pushing those left out from survival mode to creation

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. The…

Ben Chaverin, from Behind the Sunset - Apparition

Trade to troubadour: Ben Chaverin finds his hook, but just sampling KC’s music scene might not be enough

Entering the job market amid a global pandemic isn’t ideal, Ben Chaverin admits, but its challenges can become opportunities for those creative (and willing) enough to turn adversity into a new playlist.  “I’ve learned so much in the last couple of years — and grown so much as a human being,” Chaverin said, recalling his December…

Long Lost Cold Brew; Startland News photo

Why the ‘best cold brew you’ve ever tasted’ (and it’s brewer) are found only in KC

Tucked in your neighborhood grocer’s cooler waits an otherworldly cold brew — the smoothest this side of the twilight zone. And it can only be found in Kansas City. For now. “I take my craft really seriously and I taste every batch. If it’s not right, it doesn’t go out. It’s really important to me…

Jon Kramer and Brian Weaver, Torch.AI

Torch.AI acquisition boosts its national security thumbprint, building out workforce proudly in KC

Leveraging Torch.AI’s local talent alongside targeted acquisitions gets the Leawood artificial intelligence firm closer to its goal of securely sharing data with the world, said Brian Weaver, founder and CEO, committing to keeping the surging company in Kansas City. “As our technology is being adopted by more and more customers and those customers continue to…