Latest Stories

Wonder lofts, Exact Architects

Wonder developers eye emerging businesses and creatives for Troost

Business is brewing at the former Wonder Bread bakery. With a flurry of activity at 30th and Troost, the historic site is undergoing a transformation: from yet another vacant space on the corridor to an anchor for residential and commercial life on Troost. “They’ve gutted the inside and they’ve done a ton of work,” said…

Original Troost Coalition members

You don’t have to pick a side, neighbor-led Troost Coalition says

It’s about bringing residents back to Troost Avenue, Cathryn Simmons said. And that means challenging the status quo. “This used to be a free-for-all. Troost was the Wild Wild West of Kansas City,” she said. “You could come over here and do anything you wanted. Legally.” A founding member of the Troost Coalition, Simmons helped…

Video: Nonprofit wants to bring coworking, craft fairs and farmers markets to Troost

Nonprofit group Troost Market Collective hopes to revitalize a section of Troost Avenue — from 31st to Linwood — bringing a coworking space, art collective and maker spaces, as well as regular festivals and farmers markets. While other developers are busy building residential and retail space along the Troost corridor, Troost Market Collective co-founders Katie Mabry…

Ilan Salzberg and Caleb Buland, Wonder lofts on Troost

Troost revival: Can a brewpub, retail and 670 housing units mend racial divide?

No turning back now, Ilan Salzberg said. “This is real,” the Wonder lofts developer laughed, gesturing at the freshly installed kitchen cabinetry and hardware in a model apartment unit at 30th Street and Troost Avenue. Wonder is expected to be the first of three major residential developments to open between 27th Street and Armour Boulevard…

LaunchCode

LaunchCode wins MIT Innovation challenge, $150K award

LaunchCode, a nonprofit that bolsters the tech workforces in St. Louis and Kansas City by offering free but rigorous coding courses, was recently recognized for its innovative approach to reinventing the future of work. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced that LaunchCode is a grand prize winner of its 2017 Inclusive Innovation Challenge, awarding the…

Pipeline receives up to $2M from Kauffman Foundation grant

Pipeline Entrepreneurs announced Tuesday that the fellowship program is deepening its relationship with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and receiving a challenge grant of more than $2 million over the next four years. The grant amount is dependent upon private fundraising with the foundation matching dollar-for-dollar, a release said. Launched in 2006, Pipeline offers an…

KC entrepreneurial educator: ‘Zip code shouldn’t determine success’

Entrepreneurship education should begin as early as kindergarten, said Rachel Foster. “The younger my students are, the more creative they are, and the less the world has had time to tell them that it’s ‘not possible’ or ‘you can’t do that,’” said Foster, entrepreneurship teacher at Lee A. Tolbert Community Academy. “If we are able…

Events Preview: Smart City Tech summit, Intentional Collisions

There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Are you hosting a relevant community event? Add it to the KCSourceLink Calendar for increased exposure. Email info@kcsourcelink.com for assistance. Smart City…

Mycroft CEO: Ditch Amazon bait for better investment — KC startups

Editor’s note: Kansas City-based Mycroft CEO Joshua Montgomery wrote this piece in response to the area effort to attract Amazon’s prospective HQ2. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone.  My first face-to-face meeting with an Amazon employee took place on his day off. He was at the Sprint Accelerator on the Missouri…

Techstars KC demo day: How to build inclusive teams that give first

When Lesa Mitchell first learned she’d be managing director of the inaugural Techstars KC program, she thought to herself, “Wow, I’m going to have the most inclusive program in the world,” she said Thursday at the program’s demo day event. As it turns out, diversity and inclusion can be difficult to apply — even with…