Latest Stories
BacklotCars parks another $25 million in Series B round led by NY-based investor
KC-fueled BacklotCars will further its mission to disrupt the wholesale automotive space, thanks to the close of a $25 million Series B funding round, the company announced Monday. Led by New York-based growth equity firm, Stripes, the round brings BacklotCars — which seeks to ease pain points for automotive wholesalers — to $38 million in…
ModRN Health aims to break down primary care with $35-a-month membership model
ModRN Health is injecting life into a decaying healthcare system through holistic approaches, said CaRessa Hutchinson. “[Patients practically need] a medical degree to be able to navigate the healthcare system. It’s ridiculous,” said Hutchinson, co-founder of the Overland Park-based healthcare platform dedicated to ‘filling in the gaps” for patients. “People are just so overwhelmed and…
The lurking threat against entrepreneurs — and how to level the playing field
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Brad Wilders is a partner at Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP in Kansas City. A Wisconsin inventor designed a device to remove surgical fluid from operating tables. He won the prize many entrepreneurs seek: His device was patented and sold to a sophisticated company…
TEDxYouth@KC invites teens into pressing, real-world conversations, event emcee says
Including teens in conversations about real world issues is the key element that will set Kansas City’s TEDxYouth@KC apart from other TED-branded conferences, said Kyra Colbert. “We’re going to be the future and if we don’t get involved now and we don’t get informed about what’s going on, how are we going to know what…
New Black & Veatch accelerator bent on changing the world, powered by LaunchKC
A new accelerator powered by LaunchKC is Black & Veatch’s attempt to “create the world that we want,” said Hyleme George, director of the freshly announced IgniteX CleanTech program. “It’s a world that we want to invest in to accelerate the adoption of sustainable infrastructure,” George continued. “What that means is a world where there’s…
Blockchain KC event aims to put Kansas City on the map for crypto thought leadership
Kansas City is running low on blockchain-fueled innovation, said Shekhar Gupta. “I want to see Kansas City as one of the top places where people think about blockchain,” said Gupta, chief technology officer of Overland Park-based SaaS firm Asuun, and organizer of the inaugural Blockchain KC conference. “I have a big map on my wall…
‘Heartbreaking but empowering’: Nipsey Hussle’s life, death inspire entrepreneurs to action
The Marathon will continue, Wesley Hamilton said, echoing tens of thousands of mourners now pledging to keep alive the transcendent entrepreneurial spirit of rapper-turned-community leader Nipsey Hussle. Hamilton, founder and executive director of the KC-based nonprofit The Disabled But Not Really Foundation, was among a dozen or more Kansas City entrepreneurs in Los Angeles Thursday…
Inmate to business founder: Determination, Incorporated adds partner with lived experience
Determination, Incorporated’s new partner in compassion places a new lens on the impact the prison-to-founder non-profit could have, said Kyle Smith. “I’ve gotten this non-profit this far, but I can’t do it alone,” said Smith, founder of Determination, Incorporated, which uses entrepreneurship to curate new opportunities for formerly incarcerated people, on the addition of his…
How entrepreneurs are using podcasts to become thought leaders, empower founders
Audiences are moving from eyeballs to eardrums, said Addison Price, and entrepreneurs need to evolve their messaging to compete in a new arena of online engagement. “What’s going to happen when Instagram just isn’t Instagram anymore? What’s going to happen when your Facebook audience just migrates someplace else? Because it will happen,” said Price, podcast…
Open Belly podcast puts voices of immigrant chefs on the menu
Immigrant entrepreneurs have been quietly advancing Kansas City’s food scene for decades, said Danielle Lehman. “When I started hearing the stories of the chefs, I just felt like they were so compelling, and that food is really what connects us,” said Lehman, host of the “Open Belly” podcast and founder of marketing consultancy firm Boxer…
