Woman-led Stories

Tom Esselman, Connecting for Good Surplus Exchange

Connecting for Good refurbishes The Surplus Exchange with merger championing digital inclusion

Two Kansas City nonprofits are melding their expertise into a spearhead against the digital divide. “This is just the beginning of what will be a long-term love affair between Connecting For Good, digital inclusion, environmental leadership, and the Greater Kansas City metro and regional area,” said Tom Esselman, CEO of Connecting for Good. The Kansas…

Terri Jordan, WizeWebz

Life kicked me around — then I found E-Scholars, says student-turned-UMKC mentor

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Regnier Institute, but was independently produced by Startland News. Sticky, intricate, and at times invisible, Terri Jordan’s startup journey is a web spun of complexity, creativity and passion, she said. “I would’ve never met my business partner if I hadn’t said, ‘Hey, would…

Lisa Tamayo, Scollar Collision

Tenacious Scollar CEO to international investors: Look me in the eyes and try to tell me ‘no’

With a year of hustle well under way, you can’t break Scollar’s stride, Lisa Tamayo said as she prepares to take the stage in front of a 25,000-plus person crowd May 20 at the Collision tech conference in Toronto. “[I believe] 15,000 people applied to present a pitch and they whittle that down to 60…

University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Enactus team; Photo courtesy of Darcy Howe

‘Legendary’ UMKC Enactus team earns spot in national entrepreneurship finals

The University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Enactus team is the fourth most impactful in the country, declared Ben Williams. “At UMKC Enactus, we take the world’s greatest challenges into our own hands, channeling our power as students, advocates, and entrepreneurs,” the team told a crowd gathered Tuesday at the Kansas City Convention Center, as they took…

Carvana, Kansas City

Car vending machine drives into KC skyline with Carvana’s launch off Southwest Boulevard

Towering over Southwest Boulevard, Missouri’s first Carvana location has been parked in Kansas City and it’s finally ready to rev its engine, Amy O’Hara confirmed Thursday. “It’s a beautiful location and we’re looking forward to showing everyone our signature car vending machine experience and the new way to buy a car,” said O’Hara, Carvana associate…