Opinion Stories

Tommy Felts

Tommy Felts: How ruffled business feathers led me to Startland

My first attempt at entrepreneurship quickly ran afowl of reality. (Now before you assume the new guy at Startland doesn’t know how to spell “afoul,” please bear with me. I’ve earned my on-the-job Dad Joke credentials through hundreds of clever — some would say eye-rolling — puns that formed the character of my best headline…

Bobby Burch: Nonprofit change reinforces Startland News mission

In case you missed the flurry of headlines, Startland News is now a nonprofit. I wanted to take moment to share with readers what this change means for our future as mission-based storytellers. To explain, let’s look back at how Startland News evolved from initially just an idea into what it is today. Nearly three…

April Boyd-Noronha

April Boyd-Noronha: 6 steps to ‘flip the script’ on women in STEM

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Next week, my oldest daughter will embark on the next level of her STEM journey — the college level. She has chosen to pursue a major in cybersecurity this fall. As a STEM parent, I’m filled with mixed emotions related to the recent…

Arredondo: Serendipity, passion collide to form the KC Startup Foundation

I’m not going to lie. It’s been a heckuva ride. Who could have imagined the Kansas City Startup Village’s serendipitous start in Fall 2012 would turn into all this? Not me. I vividly remember the nights Matthew Marcus and I were awake at 2 a.m., trying to keep up with the flood of emails from…

Affinity Worldwide CEO hopes $1M gift to Kansas City Startup Foundation spurs more community giving

Editor’s note: Michael Wrenn previously was the owner of Startland News and its parent organization, the Center for Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development (CEED). I’m a big believer in counting blessings and doing my small part to give back. My wife, Becky Cole, CFO of Affinity Worldwide, is of the same mindset. We’ve enjoyed success over the…