Latest Stories
Artist incubator paints scene of blissful collaboration in far-from-lonely West Bottoms space
Vanessa Lacy’s artist incubator eliminates “the lonely artist,” she said, noting her gallery model replaces solitude with creative relationships and a collaborative community. “Artists tend to get very isolated in their studio spaces working on their own; then they have a relationship with a gallery that’s really more of a business relationship,” said Lacy, owner…
Order here: Menufy online restaurant platform delivers results, food from OP startup
Servicing the online orders of more than 300 restaurants in the Kansas City metro, Overland Park-based Menufy is scaling its platform across the U.S., while maintaining a startup mindset, said Ashishh Desai. “Even though now we have over 4,000 restaurants nationwide — every state but Vermont and in 1,200 cities — we still have that…
Take the Kauffman survey: Is KC’s startup culture welcoming and inclusive to all?
Perception shapes reality, said organizers of a survey that seeks greater understanding of Kansas City’s startup culture. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s 2018 Entrepreneurship in Kansas City survey checks the pulse of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem by raising specific questions about culture and practice in workplaces across the metro, said John Quinterno and Julie Marks,…
Onward scores $1M grant from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for payday loan end-run
Everyone needs a financial cushion, said Ronnie Washington — even a fintech startup offering low- to moderate-income workers a path to avoid predatory lending practices, the Onward founder said. A member of KC-based Fountain City Fintech’s inaugural cohort, Onward is one of 10 companies from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico being awarded $1 million…
Top startup ‘RFP360’ tweaks name in rebrand to reflect 360-degree approach to its market
A rebranding effort announced Tuesday aims to clarify the way RFP360 is perceived by potential customers bogged down by procurement and bidding processes, said David Hulsen. The Kansas City-based company, which streamlines the repetitive and arduous request for proposal (RFP) process with a software-as-a-service platform, hopes its new name and tagline — “Grab Life by…
‘Three guys of faith’ craft edible, dissolving protein pods with mission to SERV
Infusing authenticity into a compound of faith and fearlessness helped a KC trio formulate the one-of-a-kind recipe for Kansas City startup SERV Nutrition. Now they’re positioning the soon-to-launch company to shake up the supplement space, said Austin Wilcox. “I was doing some laundry and threw a Tide Pod in after my workout, then ran upstairs to…
Sofar Sounds takes grassroots underground to resurrect the live music experience in KC
Kansas City has a reputation as a home for talented artists, said Hank Wiedel, but restricted resources limit the potential for grassroots performers to reach a global — or sometimes even local — audience. Sofar Sounds — an international event series operating under the radar in the metro for two years — reimagines live shows by providing…
Social entrepreneur’s Harris Park brings green and golf to blighted urban neighborhood
A clean green park with an award-winning golf course not only raises the profile of the Ivanhoe neighborhood at 40th and Wayne — it changes the mindset of those who live there, said Chris Harris. The space — completed in August— was chosen by the American Society of Golf Course Architects for its Design Excellence…
KCultivator Q&A: April Boyd-Noronha opens up on access to technology, authentic change
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space.Awakening education and business potential while in your pajamas is an unexpected side effect of rapid technological advancement, said April…
Zach Pettet: It’s time to make some noise about KC’s secret bad ass investors
Editor’s note: Zach Pettet is the managing director of Fountain City Fintech and a fintech strategist at nbkc bank, with which Startland News has partnered on a Dec. 6 Innovation Exchange event. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Quiet wealth in Kansas City is a double-edged sword. The upside? You have to…
