Latest Stories
Service took Yinka Faleti from Kuwait to Ferguson; now this VC’s pushing social change from a $25M fund
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. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. ST….
Here for the party: Mobile bar wants you to drink your brand (and its own laid-back, good-times vibe)
A new mobile bar business wants to take the cockiness out of the cocktail scene. “There’s a lot of ego in the cocktail scene, but we think the bar should be a distraction,” said Brian Shellenberger, co-founder of runner! cocktails. “When you’re having a stressed out week, what do you do? You go to a…
Look up for ‘King Me’: How Rif Raf Giraffe’s colorful new mural paints a full circle moment on this Crossroads corner
The chaos created by an unexpected building collapse that sent Jason Harrington’s East Crossroads apartment crumbling to the pavement below ultimately made room for an even larger canvas, said the famed graffiti artist also known as Rif Raf Giraffe. In 2018, the building now home to King G — a neighborhood bar and deli —…
Fully funded in less than 6 hours: KC-stitched Yardball reinvents the game of catch, nearly doubles Kickstarter goal
Chad Hickman has experienced how easy it is to get lost in a deep conversation while playing a game of catch, he shared. “When your only goal is to throw something back and forth, you can really open up in a conversation and focus on the now. You’re not worried about other things. I used…
Kansas City corporate leader works to take ClimateTech from research to the real world
The solar canopy at Operation Breakthrough’s high-profile STEM lab and youth coworking space was an opportunity for Black & Veatch to put one of the firm’s core capabilities to use for the community and the climate, said Ilya Tabakh. “[Our goal was] to support an initiative that supports STEM education, combines sustainability and technology, and…
Just funded: Meet the five latest startups scaling their tech, Digital Sandbox KC’s impact
Five emerging startups are the latest to benefit from Digital Sandbox KC’s support — investment and resources that have led to more than $200 million in follow-on funding in less than 10 years for Sandbox companies. “Without this funding, it would have taken us much longer, as the whole project is currently being bootstrapped,” said…
Developers’ plan for massive West Bottoms investment stirs fear in some neighbors
Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by CityScene KC, an online news source focused on Greater Downtown Kansas City. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for the weekly CityScene KC email review. SomeraRoad’s ambitious proposal to transform a sleepy section of the West Bottoms into a “dynamic” mixed-use district has strong…
How a historic Roman Catholic private school became ‘the queerest hotel in Kansas’
With its claim to fame as the first incorporated city in Kansas, Leavenworth is a hidden treasure of historical sites, said Ilan Salzberg, but its significance does not end within its past, as the vibrant town has still so much to offer. “Leavenworth is a really cool town that I think commonly gets overlooked. People…
Give yourself permission to pause the hustle; injury prompts serial entrepreneur to get grounded
Trauma from a brain injury after an auto accident last fall left Joy Broils downshifting her Type A personality and ambitious drive to a few hours of work each day, the entrepreneur said. The incident, however, prompted her to slow down and focus on a new startup idea: Hustle & Ground, a monthly subscription box…
Go Topeka launches ‘Kansas Innovation Dealroom’ to track startup ecosystem growth
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. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. WICHITA…
