News Stories
New in KC: Serial entrepreneur, advisor Tristan Mace sees KC as next major tech ecosystem
Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. While most 14-year-olds are worried about starting high school and…
Confidence for dudes, wrapped in a robe: Luxee launches subscription box for mens wellness
Look good, feel good, and crush it, said Colton Ropson, unboxing the purpose behind his newly launched men’s subscription startup — Luxee. “We pretty much learn to shave and that’s it,” said Ropson, who co-founded the subscription box startup with his best friend, Alec Grawe. They duo described their perception of Midwest-raised men and those…
Keystone Labs partners with LaunchKC to lead accelerator platform operations
Six years after launching as a grants competition, the ever-evolving LaunchKC program will continue as an accelerator platform, newly led by the minds behind Keystone Labs — an outgrowth of the Keystone innovation district effort championed by Kevin McGinnis. Announced Thursday morning during a meeting of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, the move is expected…
Former Army intelligence analyst deploys expertise, entrepreneurship to the Market Base
Editor’s note: The following is part of a three-part series spotlighting U.S. military veterans who also are Kansas City entrepreneurs. Hustle runs deep for Jannae Gammage, she said, looking back on the one thing that’s been uniquely hers since childhood: entrepreneurship. “My first business was at 14,” said Gammage, founder and CEO of The Market…
Startup veterans hope to save community banks from fintech ‘feeding frenzy’
The future of small business lending has arrived — and it’s being built by a team of Kansas City tech veterans, at a critical time for the industry, said Hugh Khan. “Small financial institutions are dying; they’re going away. Since the Great Recession, 40 percent are gone,” added Khan, founder and principal of Highploom. “They’re not…
