To be blunt: Meowijuana sees record sales as COVID sparks deeper bonds for pets, owners
Consumer sensibilities are much higher in the 2020s than they were in 2005, Chris Glissman laughed, recalling his garage-baked idea for a stoner-inspired line of catnip. “You can guess what I was doing at the time,” he chuckled, looking back on his 15-year journey with Meowijuana — the Lenexa-based catnip giant that promises pets an…
Read MoreDestination exit: Less talk, more acceleration drove quiet BacklotCars to $425M deal
In the half-decade run-up to BacklotCars’ historic $425 million exit, the Kansas City startup remained largely under the radar, Justin Davis acknowledged, noting the intentional move became less about strategy and more focused on team values. “Like many people in Kansas City and the Midwest, we all prefer getting to work rather than talking about…
Read MoreVeteran founder unboxes startup smarts as new CEO, eyeing logistics company as KC’s next billion-dollar biz
Toby Rush enjoys disrupting the status quo, he said, questioning market strategies with the startup sensibilities that made him one of the region’s most successful entrepreneurs. As the new CEO of Smart Warehousing — an established, Kansas City-based logistics and supply chain company — the veteran startup founder plans to apply the same innovation-focused lens to…
Read MoreOHUB.KC an investment in equity infrastructure, founder says; minority accelerator deadline Sept. 18
Kansas City’s startup community still has room to improve on racial equity and access issues, said Rodney Sampson, but the ecosystem should safeguard the progress it’s made now — before COVID-era re-settlers arrive, bringing potentially problematic culture with them from larger startup hubs. “When a lot of those folks leave regions like the coasts and come…
Read MoreTealbottom heels might just save the planet, says tech founder-turned-luxury shoemaker
Globetrotter Jaqui McCarthy always travels in style, the serial entrepreneur-influencer said, detailing a journey that led her to develop a distinctive, fashion-forward shoe line made from eco-friendly bio materials. It begins with an unwanted fellow passenger: metal in the heels of her high-heeled pumps. “As an avid traveler with TSA precheck, I should be able…
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