Latest Stories
Got ideas for real-world events? Global Entrepreneurship Week accepting 2019 submissions
A weeklong event elevating the doers, dreamers and makers at the heartbeat of Kansas City small business needs the community’s help, Jenny Miller said. Organizers of Global Entrepreneurship Week — set for Nov. 18-22 in Kansas City — are now accepting event submissions for this year’s celebration, said Miller, network builder at KCSourceLink and chair of…
KCMO advancing its smart city action plan with focus on digital equity in urban tech
Kansas City is one step closer to being a fully connected hub for urban tech, as local decision makers craft a smart city action plan. “That document will be what guides all of our future investments in technology,” explained Chris Hernandez, KCMO communications director. The action plan comes a year after the city issued a…
Why are college students dropping out? EdSights targets higher ed retention rates
Only 56 percent of students who began college in 2012 actually graduated within the next six years, said startup founders Claudia Recchi and Carolina Recchi. The sisters’ own struggles as first-generation U.S. college students reinforced the challenge posed by such statistics, they said, prompting them to found EdSights, a startup using artificial intelligence to collect…
Friendmedia moving San Fran HQ to Kansas City; planning $1.5M funding round for hiring
San Francisco-based tech firm Friendmedia is expected to relocate its headquarters to Kansas City in 2020 amidst $1.5 million funding round, said Nick Magruder. “Our goal is to take advantage of all the great things that Kansas City brings to the table with all the great people, the low cost of living and everything that…
Cherry on top: 9-year-old baking entrepreneur cuts check to pay off KC students’ negative lunch balances
Baking is the perfect recipe for spreading joy — owning a small business should be too, said 9-year-old Ire Cherry, recalling the moment she stood before administrators at University Academy in Kansas City, holding a check wider than she is tall. “My mom and her sister were talking about people in Virginia who couldn’t pay their…
Kauffman Foundation’s Erin Jenkins bounces between contrasting cultures, startup life
Editor’s note: This content was sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation but independently produced by Startland News. Curiosity took Erin Jenkins to Japan. Curiosity brought her home. In between, she embedded herself in the worlds of intercultural entrepreneurism and startup life — her journey aligning itself with an opportunity to serve as a program officer…
Pride outside: How the outdoor industry is missing out with a $1 trillion LGBTQ+ blind spot
“You can’t be what you can’t see,” said adventurer and speaker Mikah Meyer, quoting activist Marian Wright Edelman last week in Kansas City. Representation of LGBTQ+ consumers and entrepreneurs formed a thematic trail throughout the recent Mid-America Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce awards luncheon where Meyer made keynote remarks. His borrowed quote also reflected…
nbkc launches Entrepreneur in Residence incubator: ‘I have a whole company behind me’
Less than a year after its inaugural Fountain City Fintech accelerator debuted, nbkc bank has launched a new incubator program designed to tackle common banking industry problems with start-up-style ideation, problem solving, and tenacity, said Megan Darnell. The goal: building new companies along the way, the nbkc program manager said. “Kansas City has every single…
Investors, students find potential and power in High School eSports League
Benjie Lewis saw potential in eSports from the beginning — first as a mentor, then an investor, he said. Rapidly evolving from recreational pastime to official leagues and high school sports programs, the competitive multiplayer gaming concept has created a new space for startup opportunity, he said. “When I was growing up … they weren’t…
Startup advocates to next mayor: Make KC more attractive to tech talent, women, innovation
Months of candidate forums are complete. The door bells have been rung. Selfies taken. As the Kansas City mayor’s race heads to the polls Tuesday, the candidates are all business when it comes to courting the startup community’s vote. Jolie Justus — who has branded herself as the next “neighborhood mayor” — and Quinton Lucas…
