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Music no, murals a go: Your fall events calendar won’t look the same as festivals grapple with COVID reality
With summer winding to an anticlimactic end amid COVID-19 restrictions, outdoor festivals aren’t immune to the pandemic’s impact, organizers said, noting high-profile changes and cancelations for Kansas City’s annual fall events lineup. Among the 2020 festivals going silent: the original PorchFestKC. “I dragged my feet saying it out loud just because I hated that it…
GEW KC planning scaled-back, 3-day virtual summit; content likely geared toward starting a business in a recession
Powered by KCSourceLink community surveys, the 2020 Global Entrepreneurship Week is forging ahead with plans for virtual content catered to specific, mid-pandemic, said Jenny Miller. “We’re still in the process of working with our committee to get all of that figured out and see what exactly GEW is going to consist of this year, but…
M25 ranking: KC gains traction against Midwest peers, but startups need more state support
Kansas City remains the “undisputed hub of startup activity in the area,” according to a new ranking by M25 — putting the City of Fountains in an enviable position as tech and startup leaders in high-priced coastal areas look for new homes in the COVID-19 era of remote work. “Zoom may be the bane of…
100 requests in two hours: $100K resiliency fund closes applications for minority biz relief grants
Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial sponsor of Startland News. This report was produced independently by Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. Overwhelming response to a new resiliency grant fund for minority-owned businesses hit by COVID-19 exposes a humbling reality, said Sarah Mote. Applications for the grants — funded by the Ewing Marion…
Toddlers and baristas: MY Play Cafe bets on playground coffee shop concept in Lee’s Summit
You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, Tiffany Kim said, recalling a trip to Las Vegas that inspired her to roll the entrepreneurial dice back home in Kansas City — despite a raging pandemic. “I call it the most relaxing day of my motherhood career,” laughed Tiffany, co-founder of Lee’s Summit-based MY Play Cafe, recalling…
Entrepreneur opening third store: Don’t let ‘buy local’ be a fad; we’re investing it all in our businesses
Conversations and social media advocacy pivot quickly, acknowledged Isaac Collins, but “shop local” should be more than just the flavor of the week as COVID-19 serves a full menu of challenges for small business owners. “The Amazons, the Walmarts, the Targets of the world, they are going to be OK,” said Collins, a serial entrepreneur…
Startups pitching this week to earn finalists spots for ‘Mr K’ Small Biz of the Year award
Innovation-led companies are going mainstream in Kansas City with an increasing number of product, experience and tech-based startups named as candidates for the top small business prize in the city: the Mr. K Award. Such well-known names to Startland News readers as Cherry, Chicken N Pickle, Crema, Plexpod, J. Rieger & Co., McLain’s Markets, Messenger…
KC tech community likely staying home, skipping events and travel until 2021, report says
Tech leaders are now accepting that a return to work and live events will take longer — perhaps much longer — than initially expected at the outset of the Coronavirus pandemic, said Ryan Weber. “In April, there was a rosier outlook for the resumed timeframe around in-person business events, office reoccupation and business travel,” said…
Made in KC replicating its Plaza marketplace in Lee’s Summit; opening set for September
A popular retail marketplace concept made in Kansas City is headed east — to the sixth-largest city in Missouri and a customer base eager to support local makers, said Thomas McIntyre. “We want to keep growing our footprint, but only where it makes sense,” said McIntyre, co-founder of Made in KC, detailing the decision to replicate…
Plexpod’s new ‘Focalpod’ private, air-filtered workspaces are like stepping inside a mask, says founder
Editor’s note: Plexpod is a financial sponsor of Startland News. This report was produced independently by Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. Step inside. Roll the door shut. Just about all you’ll hear is the soft whirring of a HEPA filtration ventilation system that cycles air through Plexpod’s new Focalpod private offices every two minutes, said Gerald…
