Latest Stories
Topeka approves $5.9M for innovation campus, locking in key funding for animal health, ag hub
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. Plans…
A high-tech funder planted seeds in 135+ Missouri startups; three bloomed into $1B+ unicorns in the past six months
When news broke this week that St. Louis-based plant tech firm Benson Hill reached a $2 billion valuation, it marked the third “unicorn” minted among MTC-funded companies in the past six months, said Jack Scatizzi. “Early-stage investing takes patience and the results can’t be rushed,” said Scatizzi, executive director of the Missouri Technology Corporation, noting…
Healium partners with T-Mobile, transporting veterans to DC memorials via virtual Honor Flight
Veterans living in rural America can experience the sights and sounds of the nation’s war memorials in Washington D.C. thanks to a Kansas City-area startup’s virtual reality technology, powered by T‑Mobile 5G. “We are losing our World War II veterans at a rate of hundreds a day, and sadly many may not live long enough…
Watch: Troost Village duo go behind the scenes of four-year development in historic East KC neighborhood
Editor’s note: The following story includes the first 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. The finished…
Social entrepreneur cuts into kids’ shaken self-esteem: I can’t save them all, but I can put smiles on a few faces
When Megan Williams’ daughter was diagnosed with hearing loss, the challenge put her confidence to the test. “Sometimes kids are cruel,” Williams, a local hair stylist and salon owner, said of concerns her family faced as they sent the 5-year-old to school with hearing aids neatly tucked around her ears. Knowing full well the taunting…
KC’s long-running online indie music magazine just debuted in print; why its founder saved advertising for the black-and-white page
Flashy digital ads and gimmicky marketing schemes aren’t telling the stories (or singing the praises) of artists who run counter to Kansas City’s mainstream, said Aaron Rhodes, founder of a niche music magazine newly hitting the streets this spring. Readers shouldn’t be fooled, Rhodes said. His underground approach to ad sales for Shuttlecock Music Magazine…
Returning to the workplace? You might be surprised how much on your computer is worth stealing
Editor’s note: The following commentary, sponsored by NetStandard, is the first in a two-part series exploring information security. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Scott Minneman is the information security manager for NetStandard, and oversees internal security and SOC 2 compliance. If you walk away from your desk, even for a…
Leah Hermida brought coffee home to KCK; her Windmill KC cafe already needs more space
In the shadow of the Kansas City skyline, new entrepreneurial energy is brewing in Wyandotte County, the childhood home of Leah Hermida. “I knew the community really well,” Hermida said from her pandemic-opened, Turner-based coffee shop, The Windmill KC, noting she grew up in the city before eventually relocating to Overland Park. “I worked locally…
Torch.AI set to create nearly 500 new KC jobs; why region’s ‘tapestry of talent’ means aggressive hiring ahead
A Leawood-based artificial intelligence firm on Friday announced plans to create nearly 500 full-time jobs in the region over the next five years — with the backing of the State of Kansas and the boost of a recent $30 million round. Building a tech company in Kansas City is the furthest thing from an uphill…
How a KC native translated his family business into a development-to-delivery logistics firm
Kyle Davis is connecting the globe to his hometown through Modus Light, his manufacturing and supply chain management provider. “Modus Light allows companies to have a single source supplier for their multiple product lines, [so then] they only need to manage us,” explained the founder and CEO of Overland Park-based Modus Light. “We’re the ones…
