A high-tech funder planted seeds in 135+ Missouri startups; three bloomed into $1B+ unicorns in the past six months
When news broke this week that St. Louis-based plant tech firm Benson Hill reached a $2 billion valuation, it marked the third “unicorn” minted among MTC-funded companies in the past six months, said Jack Scatizzi. “Early-stage investing takes patience and the results can’t be rushed,” said Scatizzi, executive director of the Missouri Technology Corporation, noting…
Read MoreHealium partners with T-Mobile, transporting veterans to DC memorials via virtual Honor Flight
Veterans living in rural America can experience the sights and sounds of the nation’s war memorials in Washington D.C. thanks to a Kansas City-area startup’s virtual reality technology, powered by T‑Mobile 5G. “We are losing our World War II veterans at a rate of hundreds a day, and sadly many may not live long enough…
Read MoreWatch: Troost Village duo go behind the scenes of four-year development in historic East KC neighborhood
Editor’s note: The following story includes the first video in a four-part series taking a look under the hard hats at the Troost Village development, a $162 million project on Troost Avenue, the city’s longtime racial dividing line. Videos in this series are expected to debut on Startland News as the project unfolds. The finished…
Read MoreSocial entrepreneur cuts into kids’ shaken self-esteem: I can’t save them all, but I can put smiles on a few faces
When Megan Williams’ daughter was diagnosed with hearing loss, the challenge put her confidence to the test. “Sometimes kids are cruel,” Williams, a local hair stylist and salon owner, said of concerns her family faced as they sent the 5-year-old to school with hearing aids neatly tucked around her ears. Knowing full well the taunting…
Read MoreKC’s long-running online indie music magazine just debuted in print; why its founder saved advertising for the black-and-white page
Flashy digital ads and gimmicky marketing schemes aren’t telling the stories (or singing the praises) of artists who run counter to Kansas City’s mainstream, said Aaron Rhodes, founder of a niche music magazine newly hitting the streets this spring. Readers shouldn’t be fooled, Rhodes said. His underground approach to ad sales for Shuttlecock Music Magazine…
Read More