Woman-led Stories

Adam Miller, Let's Talk Black Business

Let’s Talk Black Business: You don’t need to be ‘the next Lebron’ — just succeed where others fell short   

Editor’s note: The following story — spotlighting an Aug. 25 virtual event about challenges facing Black business owners — is sponsored by Let’s Talk Black Business and SCORE Community Strategic Alliance. Black entrepreneurship isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience, said Dom Green.  “It is not cookie cutter, and it is so important to showcase the differences of the…

Conner Hazelrigg, 1773 Innovation Co., the Sunshine Box

‘Sunshine Box’ inventor earns $25K prize in pitch competition for women-led social ventures

The woman behind a solar-paneled electric charging station built to overcome challenges found in developing nations earned the spotlight herself as Thursday’s big winner in the inaugural HI-HERImpact Kansas City pitch competition. Conner Hazelrigg, founder of 1773 Innovation Co. — the maker of the Sunshine Box — was awarded the contest’s $25,000 prize in the…

Image illustrates a pre-production Mark II, the Mark II is not yet in production

Fund Me, KC: Invest in Mycroft’s open-sourced, privacy-respecting voice assistant

Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses or lend a helping hand to others. This is an opportunity for business owners and innovators — like Kansas City artificial intelligence startup Mycroft AI — to share their crowdfunding stories and potentially gain backing from new…

HI-HERImpact pitch competitors: Anita Koul, Kufukaa; Deb North, YES! Athletics; and Lisa Ragan, Safely Delicious

Women-led ventures vie for $50K in pitch competition with more than prize money on the line

Finalists in this week’s debut HI-HERImpact pitch competition say the virtual event offers Kansas City’s female social entrepreneurs an opportunity to tell their stories — and potentially score pivotal funding. “Winning it would be life changing for me, my business and the team of people working for Safely Delicious in so many ways,” said Lisa…

Miguel Johns, KingFit, DiabetesCare

Kansas startup founder, Pipeline fellow among finalists in NXTSTAGE healthtech competition

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. WICHITA…