Startups Stories
Whir to find hyper-local deals: Startup launching app to help newcomers, natives connect to small biz exclusives
A side quest for $5 burger baskets and cheap beers has matured into a tech platform built to help a wide range of users easily discover local deals, said Blake Coffee, noting his startup deepens small businesses’ engagement with their communities. “We definitely thought it would be more of a college app at first,” said…
How this startup founder earned $200K in unrestricted, trust-based funding to transform KC’s relationship to food
Long-term community change comes one meal at a time, acknowledged one of Attane Health’s biggest supporters, reflecting on the Kansas City startup’s growth from the “spark of an idea to a full-fledged solution” — ultimately earning its founder a game-changing funding boost. The St. Louis-based Missouri Foundation for Health this month announced its inaugural Spark Prize…
‘Volatile times’: C2FO targets capital access to businesses rattled by global tariff disruptions
Companies — especially small businesses with limited banking options — need liquidity during times of global economic uncertainty, said Sandy Kemper, detailing C2FO’s fruitful efforts to meet growing demand for fast capital amid unpredictable tariff-related disruptions. Kansas City-based C2FO funded $18 billion through its global working capital platform to businesses worldwide during the first quarter…
Topeka’s new community-built innovation incubator turns soil; leaders eager to show the world what grows
TOPEKA — It’s not just about breaking new ground in the state’s capital, said Neal Spencer; the Link Innovation Labs project’s global reach serves as “a foundation for growth, impact, and the future of our great city.” “It’ll be a hub for ideas, connection and opportunity — a place where startups launch, collaborators spark, and…
Global startups plug into Topeka: How Kansas connections are powering their innovation
TOPEKA — Collaboration in the Midwest is just a call away, said Romaine Redman. It’s a reality that sets the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem apart, he added, and a heartland trait that seeds Topeka’s Plug and Play accelerator with the potential for international impact. “I pick up the phone and I call someone, and they’re here…
