Woman-led Stories

OMG! Her gooey butter cookies saved the family home; now this KC shop is baking even more believers

St. Louis cult favorite — gooey butter cake — serves as the springboard for a new Kansas City bakery … with a twist. It also sells gooey butter cookies. “Gooey butter cake is a St. Louis tradition. It’s where I’m from and we have the family recipe,” said Tennille Lampe, founder of Oh My Gooey…

Ideem locks in $2.4M seed round for trust tech spinout driven by Toby Rush, startup veterans

The Ideem team has a clear vision for how to make two-factor authentication easy and invisible for users, serial tech entrepreneur Toby Rush said, noting an early investment round will help the rapidly emerging startup double-down. Ideem announced a $2.4 million seed round Tuesday, backed by Sovereign’s Capital, Quona Capital, Everywhere Ventures, Hustle Fund, Oread…

Not just a pet project: Why this KC e-commerce team adopted a dog supplement brand as its own

The Morgans — the family behind Marknology, a bootstrapped digital marketing firm specializing in Amazon sales — are taking a dog supplement brand that they built as a client to the next level now as owners, they shared. Waggedy — veterinarian-formulated supplements to keep dogs healthy and active, launched by Ben Bellinson in 2015 in…

She’s the mixologist of melt: Jess Priemer blends a cocktail of Kansas City into candle scents

With niche blends like 18th & Vine (whiskey, tobacco, and rose) and KC BBQ (hickory, oak, and BBQ sauce), Jess Priemer evokes memories and local landmarks with the lighting of each wick. Her candles are the best part of what makes Kansas City uniquely home, she said. “I love this city, like everybody else around…

Dual attractions at vineyard disc golf course bring hole-in-one for this Kansas entrepreneur trio

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.  EDGERTON, Kansas — A rural Douglas County family is pairing its award-winning Kansas table wine with 18 holes of disc golf and earning national recognition in the process, Christy Fuller-Flyntz shared….