Latest Stories
No time for risks or red flags: Why this fund backs ‘unbankable’ businesses in WYCO’s investment desert
This story is possible thanks to Entrepreneurial Growth Ventures (EGV), a business unit of NetWork Kansas supporting innovative, high-growth entrepreneurs in the State of Kansas. A partnership between NetWork Kansas and the Wyandotte Economic Development Council is providing minority entrepreneurs in Wyandotte County with loans and technical assistance to get their business ideas off the ground….
Small businesses tackle NFL Draft opportunities with league coaching from the sidelines
Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. The NFL’s business connect program aims to feature diverse, local businesses for major events. Next week’s NFL Draft is expected to…
Company boosted by Topeka becomes capital city’s latest Plug and Play corporate partner
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. TOPEKA — Plug and Play Topeka announced this week the addition of Bimini Pet Health as a new corporate partner of the Topeka-based animal health accelerator — a move expected…
NFL Draft arrives in Kansas City: Here’s what you need to know
Editor’s note: This story was originally published by The Kansas City Beacon, a member of the KC Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story from The Kansas City Beacon, an online news outlet focused on local, in-depth journalism…
Kin crafts flavor into hard seltzer market, targeting overlooked Black consumers looking for authentic social experiences
The founding trio of a new hard seltzer crafted in Kansas City hopes the drink will add much-needed inclusivity to the craft seltzer space. Kin Seltzer is a collaboration between Joshua Lewis and Kearra Johnson of UpDown Nightlife, and Eric Martens of Border Brewing Company. Currently, leading seltzer brands target their marketing predominantly to white…
KC mom’s goal for her daughters’ brewing coffee business: Making history, served Blakk
Germaneke Drone is steeping her daughters’ entrepreneurial vision with her own lived experience to turn the kids’ idea into the Kansas City-based, dairy-free mobile coffee cafe of their dreams, the Blakk Brew founder said. Growing up with a Vietnamese grandmother, Kai, 8, and Keanu, 6, were introduced to coffee and tea culture at an early…
Danza returns with a new music video (and business cards); why this award-winning KC performer is chasing more than success
The idea of “making it” in the music industry isn’t what drives Anthony Louderback to create vulnerable, truth-filled melodies, he shared — rather, his creative outlet has taken him on a life-long exploration of himself and his community. “When I first started releasing music, I didn’t know that it was going to be this journey…
Top 10 unfurled after banner year: KC Chamber narrows contenders for ‘Small Business of the Year’
A half-dozen fresh-faced ventures — plus a few high-profile returning businesses — round out the Top 10 finalists for the KC Chamber’s 2023 Small Business of the Year award, announced publicly Friday during a social media rollout. “Small businesses drive KC’s economy, and we couldn’t be more excited for this year’s Top 10, and the…
Guy’s THC-infused potato chips hitting shelves soon; first bite of cannabis collaborations to come
A months-long wait is over for fans of Guy’s Snacks — and recreational cannabis — as rumors of a THC-infused crossover officially take potato chip shape, just in time for Kansas City’s first 4/20 celebration since legalization. Franklin’s Stash House — a premier manufacturer of high-quality cannabis products and one of Startland News’ Kansas City…
Pitching in: Meet the founders tapped for Launch KC’s second Social Venture Studio
Seven social ventures from Kansas City and beyond are joining the second cohort of LaunchKC’s newest entrepreneur-focused initiative — a program that specifically supports founders working to solve social, racial or environmental problems. The startups selected for the Social Venture Studio, powered by LaunchKC, were revealed Wednesday afternoon at the Keystone Community Corporation’s event space…
