News Stories

AltCap team photo 2021

Filling a capital void: AltCap builds capacity, momentum after its busiest year to date

Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Academy Bank, a Kansas City based community bank, and is part of a series of features spotlighting some of the bank’s startup and small business partners. The past 18 months have been a critical turning point for AltCap, said Ruben Alonso, as the nonprofit has grown to…

Technology2030 Report, Missouri Chamber

MO tech jobs pay double the state’s average wage, fueling economic growth, new report says

Missouri’s tech industry remains a driving economic force despite widespread job loss and economic turmoil caused by COVID-19, according to a new report that details how the Show Me State is outpacing national tech growth. Among the report’s key takeaways: Average earnings for all jobs in Missouri was $64,000 in 2020, while the average earnings of…

David Block, Block and Company Realtors

Why a KC real estate icon is letting urban artists spray paint his high-profile Plaza building (again)

A massive, five-story mural project launched on the Country Club Plaza in late 2020 will grow even bigger over the next week, painting the potential for more representation in an otherwise traditional — and earth tone — Kansas City shopping district and neighborhood.  “It adds a lot of conversation and excitement — and it shows an opportunity…

Ryan Townsend, Hively

Product without a pitch deck: How one startup tech veteran is seeding his new venture with ‘something real’ 

Ryan Townsend has worked within some of Kansas City’s most headline-grabbing startups for years, but now he’s taking the lead with his product-driven venture Hively — focusing specifically on bringing a mobile-first solution to event management. “I’ve always been the technology guy,” Townsend said, referencing his time as chief technology officer at such companies as…

Pipeline Entrepreneurs Donald Hawkins, First Boulevard, and Luke Lim, Tile Five

Pipeline pilots new ‘Pathway’ cohort to boost womxn, minority, rural founders into scaling position

Editor’s note: Pipeline Entrepreneurs, a network and fellowship of high-performing entrepreneurs in the Midwest, is a community partner and financial supporter of Startland News. A new fellowship program designed exclusively for underserved entrepreneurs is expected to help better prepare founders who identify as womxn, minority, or are leading a business in a rural community to…