Latest Stories
Peek inside Tesseract HQ: Robotics startup builds future in real time (with humans on the brain)
As an intentionally lowered screen begins to lift on Tesseract Ventures, once-seemingly-wild ideas that lived only in tech inventor John Boucard’s head are being realized. With them, the future of work is taking shape — 3D-printed piece by 3D-printed piece — hardwired in the suburbs of Kansas City. “We were a bit mysterious in the…
Avoiding money mistakes now: What teens wish they knew about money
Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by CommunityAmerica Credit Union, a partner of STARTLAND, the parent organization of Startland News. Click here to learn about CommunityAmerica’s coming financial literacy webinar series for parents. This story was produced independently by Startland News. A spring corporate innovation internship program — designed as an outlet and opportunity…
KC Crew dives into virtual entertainment, surviving long enough to reopen summer sports
When COVID-19 shut down organized sports across the city, Luke and Katy Wade went back to the basics to keep KC Crew active — putting a virtual spin on classic entertainment options. “Who would have thought bingo you know?” Luke Wade said, referencing his first experiment in finding an alternative diversion for a newly online-only…
KingFit acquisition fuels expansion plans in Mexico, focuses bilingual health tech startup
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…
UMKC-backed coding academy offers career reboot without the ‘imposter syndrome’
Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Yoodle, a partner of STARTLAND, the parent organization of Startland News. Click here to learn about the FEC Coding Academy courses or to apply for its coming cohort, a partnership between Yoodle, the Full Employment Council and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. This story was produced independently by…
New party-goers every 15 minutes: How KC-designed Mixaba could put humanity back into happy hour
Andrew Carlson is the first to admit he isn’t the most vocal person at a party — but even he knew 30 people trying to talk over each other at a virtual happy hour isn’t the solution to socially distant socializing. “Right now everybody’s staring at each other behind the screen A one-on-one conversation is fairly…
Farm to flask: Spirit made from dairy byproduct aims to craft its own herd the right whey
Wheyward Spirit is about mixing more than a tasty tonic, said Emily Darchuk, creator of a whey-based alcohol that uses the liquid byproduct of making dairy products for a sustainable sip. “We’re doing things differently for the right reasons in creating a flavorful spirit that’s good enough to sip straight, but it’s also taking a…
How can KC get to a $400M+ exit? Hire smart and just survive, says founder of startup acquired by H&R Block
A year after Wave’s $405 million acquisition by H&R Block, the company’s co-founder acknowledges the Toronto startup’s story seems like something of a fintech fairytale — with the happy end of one chapter perhaps overshadowing the struggles in the pages before it. “This won’t be true for everybody, but what we found was — just stay…
Marketing voice joins STARTLAND to amplify ecosystem builders’ impact, culture of innovation
A mainstay of the Kansas City creative scene hopes to compose messaging harmony as the new force behind STARTLAND’s events and marketing efforts. “One of my dreams is just to see people coming together and working — not really thinking about their differences, but understanding we have more in common than what we don’t and,…
Esports group acquires Local Legends, signaling gaming growth in flyover country
A pipeline for Plains states gamers has been opened with the acquisition of Local Legends Gaming by the Unified Esports Association (UEA). “We’ve been working Esports together for about a year and a half and kind of just realized that we have the exact same goals,” AbdulRasheed Yahaya, founder of Local Legends, said of the…
