Latest Stories
Destination whiskey: A newly bottled West Bottoms distillery sees KC barreling toward old fashioned fame
Innovation is intoxicating, Michael Hopkins said, pouring the story behind a newly-distilled whiskey company that hopes to do its part to put Kansas City grains on the maker’s map. “The more distilleries, the more Kansas City is going to get recognized for [its whiskey],” said Hopkins, one of three business partners behind West Bottoms Whiskey,…
Floraloom’s Colleen Monroe put her green thumb on the steering wheel, leaving LA for KC sunshine
Quarantine changed people — including Colleen Monroe, the serial entrepreneur said, looking back on the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles and the day she loaded her car with a few personal belongings and as many vases as it could hold. Uprooting her once-busy life, she hoped growth opportunities might bloom in…
Meet the new class: KC’s top emerging founders power Pipeline’s latest high-profile fellowship
Pipeline’s new class of fellows more accurately reflects the real diversity of the Midwest, said startup veteran Dusty Reynolds, introducing a virtual Pipeline audience to 13 entrepreneurs joining the group’s elite ranks. “This is an absolutely stacked class,” said Reynolds, co-founder of Omaha-based RaceNote, founder of HeavyNote, and Pipeline’s 2015 Innovator of the Year. “I…
Innovation unplugged: KC company’s ultra-cold tech could preserve vaccines, save lives
Despite playing a critical, specific role in the fight against COVID-19, one North Kansas City tech startup could be a shot in the arm of healthcare beyond the ongoing pandemic, said Edward Collins. “When COVID came about and affected so many people around me — I wanted to make a difference or at least do something…
Demand for Wag-N-Bag rolls back, co-founders say; portable game wagon just needs a second push
It’s back to the crowdfunding starting line for Kansas City-tossed Wag-N-Bag, as the yard game startup rolls out an expanded product and launches its second attempt at a critical campaign. “It’s going to get us to the next level,” Brad Hull, co-founder, said of the company’s recently launched Kickstarter campaign, which aims to secure $10,000…
KC designer’s new deck of cards celebrates Black icons who refused to play the hands they were dealt
Learning and celebrating Black history should be in the cards for more than just the month of February, Kearra Johnson said, unveiling a new design project that’s set to hit metro store shelves soon. “I really just want to create fun ways to get serious conversations started for the younger generation,” explained Johnson, founder of…
Coworking space adds an unexpected pandemic pivot: video production for-hire
COVID-19 initially brought community to an immediate halt at Bridge Space, Ben Rao said, as a significant portion of the Lee’s Summit workforce traded their office desks for empty nooks at home during the pandemic. “That community was the invisible energy that runs through Bridge Space,” Rao said of the coworking space he opened in…
No promo codes needed: How two Brits and their KC startup are adding instant discounts to your shopping cart
When restaurants and retailers shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many of their customer loyalty programs did too, leaving frequent shoppers empty handed, explained Jordan Williams. “I had a $200 Southwest Airlines voucher and 6000-plus Chipotle restaurant points expire,” Williams said, detailing a pandemic-presented problem that finds its solution in his newly-launched startup: Veeper. The platform…
Don’t call it a political podcast: Why positivity is the only filter on KCMO power duo’s new project
A former mayor and his chief of staff have more to talk about than just politics — even after eight years in Kansas City’s highest office, said Joni Wickham, describing the wider-ranging theme of her new podcast with Sly James. “People’s initial knee-jerk reaction may be to assume that this is a podcast all about politics…
Why one KC-area brewer is closed Super Bowl Sunday (but won’t be sitting on the sidelines)
Watching the Kansas City Chiefs defend their championship title Sunday will certainly look different than it did when the hometown team earned it in 2020, John Kennebeck said. And for local business owners, such a change presents yet another opportunity to call plays on pandemic pivots. COVID-19 has “exponentially” altered plans at 3 Halves Brewing…
