Latest Stories
White House vs ‘startup slump’: New executive order puts feds on notice in bid to reverse innovation decline
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Victor Hwang is the founder and CEO of the Right to Start movement. Click here to learn more about Right to Start, a campaign to drive economic recovery and advance economic justice. This commentary originally appeared on Inc.com and is republished with permission…
GEW event series set for 7-day, hybrid return; now accepting presenter submissions
Global Entrepreneurship Week Kansas City, the metro’s largest annual celebration of entrepreneurship, is seeking event submissions from the community to help aspiring entrepreneurs and existing small business owners build their operations and be more resilient for the future. “Even though pandemic restrictions are over, we know the struggle to keep doors open is very real,…
$230M funding round fuels EquipmentShare tech launch, national expansion plans
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores entrepreneurship taking root 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. A massive funding haul…
New voice on capital access: If people aren’t already at the table, move the table to them
Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News. This story was produced independently by Startland News’s nonprofit newsroom. From teller to business banker, Shakia Webb worked nearly every bank job, she recalled. “Each role literally prepared me for the next,” Webb told Startland News, detailing her well-rounded resume and…
In the ring with Santino: How a KC-area French Bulldog became a championship showstopper
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores entrepreneurship taking root 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. Dwayne Johnson started as…
Watch Now: Nothing to Fear a virtual Innovation Exchange conversation
Innovation Exchange is produced by Startland, the parent organization of Startland News. Morgan Stanley is the event’s presenting sponsor and C2FO is a financial supporter of Startland News.
Proptech startup closes $636K pre-seed round, building on real estate product collabs
More than a half-million dollars in pre-seed funding has a Kansas City-built proptech startup movin’ on up, bringing it a few floors closer to realizing its goal of becoming Stripe for the real estate industry. “It feels so unreal,” David Biga, founder and CEO, told Startland News Monday in announcement of the startup’s newly-closed $636,000…
Former Starbucks CEO, C2FO’s Sandy Kemper join Morgan Stanley exec for ‘Nothing to Fear’ DEI conversation
Top business leaders are now embracing diversity and inclusion, Carla Harris said, but even their most sincere initiatives must survive the fear that comes with changing trends and an inevitable economic downturn. “Fear has no place in your success equation,” said Harris, a 33-year Wall Street veteran and Morgan Stanley executive who headlines Thursday’s Innovation…
Just funded: Meet the six young startups joining Digital Sandbox KC’s summer slate
A round of funding from Digital Sandbox KC comes at a critical time for Bryght Labs — and five other early stage companies — as the AI-enabled gaming startup advances hardware development for its wildly popular, high-tech chess board, said Elliot Wilder. “Hardware is hard enough — but 2021 has added some unique challenges,” said Wilder,…
They met in Ecuador, relocated to KC; now one couple is wrapping the culture gap with native blankets
Editor’s note: The following story — a spotlight on a member of the Plexpod community — is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. A Kansas City company’s mission to connect U.S. consumers to native blankets ethically produced by artisans in Ecuador is…
