News Stories

Cornell Ellis, Brothers Liberating Our Communities (BLOC)

Community Builders to Watch: Cornell Ellis aims for nothing short of a Black male educator revolution

Editor’s note: Startland News is showcasing six Kansas City changemakers from five local organizations in its inaugural Community Builders to Watch list. The following highlights one of the 2021 honorees, selected from more than 100 initial nominees by a panel of judges. Click here to view the full list of Community Builders to Watch —…

Maxfield Kaniger, Kanbe's Market

Community Builders to Watch: Max Kaniger brings more than apples to KC’s food deserts

Editor’s note: Startland News is showcasing six Kansas City changemakers from five local organizations in its inaugural Community Builders to Watch list. The following highlights one of the 2021 honorees, selected from more than 100 initial nominees by a panel of judges. Click here to view the full list of Community Builders to Watch —…

Charon Thompson and Dan Smith, The Porter House KC

Community Builders to Watch: Dan Smith and Charon Thompson grow an equitable future for KC by focusing on the now

Editor’s note: Startland News is showcasing six Kansas City changemakers from five local organizations in its inaugural Community Builders to Watch list. The following highlights two of the 2021 honorees, selected from more than 100 initial nominees by a panel of judges. Click here to view the full list of Community Builders to Watch —…

Melissa Vincent, Pipeline Entrepreneurs

Why underserved founders shouldn’t patiently ‘wait their turn’; Pipeline Pathfinder applications close Nov. 9 

Editor’s note: Pipeline is a financial supporter of Startland News. Pipeline’s new Pathfinder program is accepting applications through Nov. 9. Click here to apply. Proof points long used to indicate a startup’s readiness to scale or raise capital favor white, male-led companies, said Melissa Vincent, stressing traditional markers like even a founder’s ability to dedicate…

Eric Goeken, CTO, and Laura Steward, founder and CEO, VideoFizz

Startup’s tech hits Hallmark shelves with video greeting cards; partnership ‘worth the wait’

Kansas City creative giant Hallmark’s newly announced line of video greeting cards is more than a one-of-a-kind product innovation — it’s the outcome of an extended startup partnership that was years in the making, Laura Steward said. “In 2015, we won a Launch KC grant,” recalled Steward, founder and CEO of Kearney, Missouri-based VideoFizz, describing the…