Latest Stories
Kauffman grants $5.3M to AltCap to help those overlooked by lenders access capital
Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News. A significant new grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is expected to help AltCap support the capitalization and administration of a fund that increases access to capital for entrepreneurs in distressed areas of Kansas City and for those whose credit applications…
Building a business is a lonely journey, says serial risk-taker; but access to resources can grow Black community, generational wealth
Editor’s note: SCORE is an advertiser with Startland News, though this report was produced independently by the nonprofit newsroom. Forget the fluff, said Isaac Collins. Kansas City’s SCORE Community Strategic Alliance (SCSA) is planning a KC Business Ecosystem for Black Entrepreneurs webinar that will leave attendees with constructive teachings that they can bring into today,…
KC workers aren’t leaving — they just want more control over their jobs; Why that isn’t such a weird flex
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Bo Fishback, CEO of Airtasker USA, a local services marketplace that connects people who need work done with those who are ready to work, previously founded Kansas City-based Zaarly. The startup was acquired by Airtasker in 2021. Corporate America’s “Great Resignation” is largely…
City says ‘long overdue’ 18th & Vine plan isn’t a facade for gentrification; effort would bring retail, apartments to blighted district
Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by CityScene KC, an online news source focused on Greater Downtown Kansas City. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for the weekly CityScene KC email review. ‘The city’s blighted and dangerous buildings have been choking the life out of the district for decades,’ business owner…
New tequila, same family: Why you’ll miss all the shots you don’t take of this soon-to-be iconic KC spirit
They’re among Kansas City’s most popular brands, Andy Miller said, distilling just how crucial it is for the minds behind Spanish Gardens, Perez, and Silva’s to get it right as they launch a new brand: Una Familia Tequila. “There were sleepless nights,” recalled Miller, founder of Una Familia and COO of Spanish Gardens Foods — the…
Whitney Manney’s fresh prints: How one KC designer’s life got flipped-turned upside down by a call from ‘Bel Air’
When the Kansas City-provoked reboot of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” begins streaming Sunday, its creator won’t be the only recognizable local name to roll in the credits. “This has been a dream opportunity,” said Whitney Manney, founder of the WHITNEYMANNEY (WM) fashion label, announcing her participation in costuming “Bel-Air” — the dramatic retelling of…
This 11yo kidtrepreneur is skipping past lemonade stands, taking Nelson’s Flavorades straight to the store
A shot of flavor is headed for Hy-Vee as the grocer gives a KCK-raised kidtrepreneur the chance to stock his sellout product in a limited run. “It’s amazing,” Nelson McConnell, the 11-year-old owner of Nelson’s Flavorades, said of the opportunity to sell his lemonade blends on store shelves. Beginning Saturday, customers can visit the Mission…
One of KC’s top emerging founders joins cast of new reality TV show for startups; see who else is competing
Twenty startups picked to live in a house — competing in a series of entrepreneurship games for a reality TV show — could’ve been a nightmare, said Jonaie Johnson. But the bootstrapped creator of a KC-built smart dog crate was up for the challenge, she said. “Spending a week in a mansion with a bunch…
MTV veteran’s new docu-series crowns ‘greatest startup on The Blox,’ evolving reality TV beyond ‘messy’ sensationalism
The premiere of a 17-episode, gamified entrepreneurship challenge marks a pivot in reality TV — as “Shark Tank meets Top Chef” within a competition show that focuses more on startup development than sensational conflict. “We weren’t prepared to go down a ‘messy’ reality TV path, because we don’t want to exploit or hurt entrepreneurs. But,…
As book banning spreads across US, one KC media company calls out specific threat to diverse creators
The Kansas City publishing powerhouse behind many of the nation’s most-beloved newspaper comics — from Calvin & Hobbes and The Far Side to Garfield and Peanuts — this week raised its voice amid a growing push to condemn book bans flaring up across the country. “Books are safe harbors, where the freedom of expression and…
