Search Results: Smart city initiative

New playbook details: With matches set, World Cup business opportunities come into focus for KC

Host city organizers drop game plans for KC entrepreneurs navigating World Cup Argentina, the Netherlands, and other teams playing in Kansas City during the 2026 FIFA World Cup games are bringing their own playbooks to the City of Fountains next spring. Local organizers want the region’s small businesses and organizations to be just as prepared…

Arch Grants taps homegrown founders, Missouri startup recruits for $1.6M in awards

ST. LOUIS — The Missouri maker behind a keychain designed to save lives from opioid overdoses is among nearly two dozen companies — together awarded $1.6 million — selected for the latest Arch Grants program. The innovation economy nonprofit on Thursday honored 19 startups, alongside three new members of its expanded Arch Grants Fellows Program….

KCultivator Q&A: Jessica Powell gets candid about ‘KC Nice’ (and how she’d spend $1M)

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Let’s get real, Jessica Powell said with a wry smirk, explaining her vision for a Kansas City that works together — and stops cannibalizing its own.   “I’m a startup junkie,” the community champion and founder of Social…

Gatekeepers hate to see them coming: Why Back2KC leaders think these outsiders could be the next best Kansas Citians

A Kansas City homecoming movement with a track record of sparking real relocations and startup investment is gearing up for its annual gathering — welcoming expatriates and newcomers alike as it seeks to deepen ties between the city and its far-flung alumni. But the program’s high-octane leader insists the work of Back2KC isn’t just about…

Jeff Jones, H&R Block

H&R Block CEO files retirement plans; company sets ‘smooth transition’ to new chief executive

Announcing his plan to retire at the end of 2025, the CEO for one of Kansas City’s most iconic businesses called his work at H&R Block the past eight years “the honor of a lifetime.” “We have elevated Block’s relevance, built an extraordinary culture, made bold bets to drive growth, rebuilt about every piece of…