Startups Stories
Former KC startup acquired by Atlanta-based banking platform, uniting two of the largest Black-owned fintechs
ATLANTA — Greenwood, a digital banking platform for Black and Latino individuals and businesses, announced this week its acquisition of Kansas City-founded Kinly — a neobank building generational wealth for Black America. The deal will help grow Atlanta-based Greenwood’s ecosystem of more than 1 million members and provide Kinly’s community of more than 300,000 with…
End-of-life care platform wins top UMKC prize in young startup’s first-ever pitch competition
Serving as someone’s informal caregiver is a rewarding experience, but the pressure of being fully responsible for taking care of a loved one can take a toll on a person physically and mentally, acknowledged Nicole Staab and Rachel Blankenship. Through their startup, Rings of Care KC, they are providing support and resources for informal caregivers…
Kin crafts flavor into hard seltzer market, targeting overlooked Black consumers looking for authentic social experiences
The founding trio of a new hard seltzer crafted in Kansas City hopes the drink will add much-needed inclusivity to the craft seltzer space. Kin Seltzer is a collaboration between Joshua Lewis and Kearra Johnson of UpDown Nightlife, and Eric Martens of Border Brewing Company. Currently, leading seltzer brands target their marketing predominantly to white…
Pitching in: Meet the founders tapped for Launch KC’s second Social Venture Studio
Seven social ventures from Kansas City and beyond are joining the second cohort of LaunchKC’s newest entrepreneur-focused initiative — a program that specifically supports founders working to solve social, racial or environmental problems. The startups selected for the Social Venture Studio, powered by LaunchKC, were revealed Wednesday afternoon at the Keystone Community Corporation’s event space…
Raven’s return-to-earth science is complete, founder says; a new space accelerator will help get the KCK-built tech off the ground
A KCK startup that could revolutionize space transportation is among 14 companies selected this week for an accelerator program from Amazon Web Services that focus on “transforming the future of space for all of humanity.” Kansas City-based Raven Space Systems — led by co-founders Ryan Cowdrey and Blake Herren — is building entirely 3D printed reentry…
