Woman-led Stories

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids visiting Upper Crust Pie Bakery in downtown Overland Park

Survival took more than just PPP — but federal relief proved pivotal, small biz owners tell Davids

Sharice Davids strolled through downtown Overland Park Friday afternoon — with an ice cream cone in hand — stopping to meet with local small business owners to hear their pandemic survival stories and how federal relief programs played a role.  “Today has been really fun; to see just how innovative … the problem-solving modes that…

The Prospect KC rendering

$250K in matching funds brings Prospect Urban Eatery free culinary training closer to boil

Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News, though this story was produced independently by Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. A quarter-million-dollar grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is expected to push The Prospect KC into operational scale in the months ahead, said Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant.  News of the…

Madden and Tovah Tanner, Royale Cohesive Network

How a KC mom and her 12-year-old co-founder are rewriting the book on entrepreneurship

Guiding young people through the ins and outs of entrepreneurship is a family affair for Tovah Tanner, a metro woman on a mission to create a Kansas City that thinks critically, holds values, and possesses life skills that build lasting wealth.  “My son, Madden Tanner, is our co-founder. He’s 12 years old,” Tanner said, recalling…

Angela Presnell, lilhoopgirl

She earned 21K followers with a plastic circle; now Angela Presnell hoops to transfer social media popularity to a paid platform

An Instagram page launched in 2016 to document then-college freshman Angela Presnell’s progression in hooping today reaches more than 21,000 followers — and sends the active entrepreneur across the globe to teach her artform in person. “I needed some sort of creative outlet that could be totally mine,” said Presnell, the 24-year-old Kansas Citian behind…

Grant Burcham and Melea McRae, Crux KC

One of KC’s top small businesses markets explosive growth into new key investor: former Mobank CEO

On the heels of Crux KC doubling its square footage in January and growing its headcount 118 percent since June 2020, the marketing firm — one of the KC Chamber’s Top 10 Small Businesses — announced a significant investment this week by Grant Burcham, former Mobank CEO. “I’ve long valued Grant’s business acumen and insight as…