Latest Stories
Missouri angel tax credits? New grants? Show-Me State tech advocates researching next generation of incentives for entrepreneurs
The future of entrepreneurial support in Missouri could hinge on what those in the trenches say are the state’s biggest barriers to startup success, said Jack Scatizzi, announcing a new data-driven effort to reshape Missouri’s strategy for cultivating innovation. “The initiative will include quantitative and qualitative aspects that will be incorporated into a strategic plan…
KC tech guru, startup advocate talks cryptocurrency’s value: ‘History doesn’t always repeat itself, but it often rhymes’
Cryptocurrency eventually will cause the most significant exchange of wealth mankind has ever experienced, Matthew Marcus forecast, and the web developer-turned-startup community organizer hopes to help others get involved early. “We are essentially in the early 1990s of the internet. The same way we talked about the internet and email 20-some years ago, will be…
Watch: Meet the band of local contractors behind the development of Troost Village
Editor’s note: The following story includes the second 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. Click here…
How library advocates turned the page after COVID with a ‘tidal wave’ of online sales
Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Academy Bank, a Kansas City based community bank, and is part of a series of features spotlighting some of the bank’s startup and small business partners. Even a storied community resource relies on innovation for its survival, said Shanta Dickerson, noting classic trust and accountability also have…
Whataburger planning 30 new KS-MO restaurants with help of KC’s newest serial investor: Patrick Mahomes
A years-long effort to bring a Texas burger chain to Kansas City is turning into a bigger order than Whataburger fans likely ever dreamed — all with the help of brand superfan and now chief investor Patrick Mahomes II. Whataburger on Tuesday announced plans to open 30 new restaurants — spanning from Wichita, Kansas to…
Why a new founder-first Midwest incubator sees scarcity as a source of strength
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. COLUMBIA,…
Devoured chef designs oven-baked backyard pizza concept for pop-ups and beyond
An unexpected medley of events helped Jhy Coulter realize her career as a designer needed to end for her creativity to truly shine — through food, the emerging Kansas City chef shared. “Designing for others with all these limitations was just not fulfilling for me,” said Coulter, founder of Devoured — a pop-up pizzeria known…
Advocate envisions Plexpod ‘art village’ rebuilding KC culture at the intersection of art, business
An arts advocate in Kansas City hopes to partner with one of the metro’s leading community coworking spaces to create a haven for nearly 1,300 art entrepreneurs. GUILDit announced Thursday plans to develop an art village within Plexpod Westport Commons — featuring coworking, studios, a theater, and gallery — with a goal to rebuild art…
Legacy-filled eclair shop launches with crowds, pastry case lined with custom, unexpected treats
Chef Erin Luttrell recalls tales of lines out the door and around the block at her great-grandparents’ bakery in the 1920s — the inspiration behind her newly opened sweets shop on the historic Independence Square. “During the grain strike, people couldn’t get flour or bread or products to bake at home for their families, so they…
BLK + BRWN debuts KC’s first smart bookstore with a twist: ‘I wanted to be as Black as possible’
Kansas City’s newest Black woman-owned, brick-and-mortar bookstore in Midtown has opened its doors, but customers shouldn’t judge the operation by its cover, owner Cori Smith said, revealing an additional first for the metro that has heads and pages turning. “There’s a technological aspect paired with each book,” explained Smith, owner of BLK + BRWN — Kansas…
