Startups Stories
BacklotCars developer balances work, school and helping recover 33,000 pounds of food for the hungry
Behind the scenes of BacklotCars’ historic $425 million exit deal, one of the Kansas City company’s top developers is feeding innovation in his home country, said Josh Parsons. Pablo Ulguin — a full-time senior software developer at BacklotCars who also is completing night school in Uruguay to earn a degree in computer science and learn…
Passion on paper: How decades-old tech helped ink creative ownership for a trendsetting designer
Kevin Garrison stockpiles canisters of ink like he collects cans of limited edition SPAM flavors — feeding a passion for vintage-inspired design that overflows from his Waldo home studio. “Some men get to a certain age and go buy a motorcycle or boats, and I went out and bought a Risograph printer,” the veteran graphic…
New in KC: Why Jackie Nguyen hit the brakes on acting to open a mobile coffee cafe
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. Lifting the curtain on the region’s first Vietnamese coffee traveling cafe, Jackie Nguyen is…
Barrel-aged blends: One of KC’s hottest new roasts comes steeped in local libations
Something bolder is steeping on the Kansas City coffee scene — pairing one of the metro’s most experienced roasters with a leader in local liquor. “People have been really interested in [blended beverages] around here,” said Christopher Oppenhuis, founder of Marcell Coffee Projects — the year-old private label roasting operation that helps keep a slew of…
More social, less media: KC startup launching platform with no ads, algorithms or addiction
As the Digital Age flourishes with hundreds of millions of people on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms, Grandview-based The Jump hopes to change the culture behind news and user feeds. The pitch: Create a healthier, positive place online where people can bond over common interests and form authentic relationships, said Peter McClung. …
