Latest Stories
More than statues: 3D printer on the Plaza showcases Urban TEC opportunity amid BLM movement
Just a couple blocks west of Mill Creek Park — the center of recent Black Lives Matter protests near the Country Club Plaza — 3DHQ hopes youth tech outreach now can build a more inclusive future for creative problem solvers in Kansas City’s Black and urban communities, said Fabian Conde. “We want to be more intentional…
OP-baked Safely Delicious takes big bites of allergy-free snack market amid pandemic
Some of the most unconventional entrepreneur stories offer the sweetest flavors, said Lisa Ragan, detailing how diet restrictions and divorce combined to drive her deliciously disruptive Overland Park-based company forward. “You can’t have one foot in, one foot out,” Ragan, founder of Safely Delicious, said of what it’s taken to scale the allergy-friendly snack line…
Grab me a stick of butter too? How a KC-built group shopping app could eliminate needless grocery runs
The COVID-19 pandemic clearly isn’t going anywhere until the arguing stops, said Jason Wadsworth. “Mask-wearing has become political and that’s just so disheartening,” said Wadsworth, vice president of engineering at MobileUp Software. “These times are unprecedented and I really hope that as a community, we can stop arguing and just come together to work it…
Tea shop on Troost finds its flavor at the intersection of herbal serenity, cultural activism
Kansas City’s air is thick with revolution and restoration, contemplated Nika Cotton. “In the social and cultural climate, it’s really a time that people are rising up. The systems are changing. We’re talking about the abolition of police departments, the abolition of the industrial prison system — really exciting things,” Cotton said amid a flurry of…
Startups fighting COVID: Black & Veatch taps 18 for Coronavirus response accelerator
Four months after an unprecedented pandemic struck the Midwest, partners from more than a dozen startups, established businesses and universities are set to pitch their solutions for developing and deploying emerging technologies to fight Coronavirus. KC-area startups EB Systems, InnovaPrep, Motega and MySidewalk are among 18 members of Black & Veatch’s IgniteX COVID-19 Response Accelerator,…
Heartland Challenge: Meet Kauffman’s 17 grantees (and the projects getting funded)
The only way to regain lost momentum in the Heartland’s cities and rural areas: work together to develop, catalyze, and expand inclusive programs and strengthen regional ecosystems, said Melissa Roberts Chapman. A new portfolio of 17 grantee organizations is up to the challenge, she added. “Entrepreneurship represents an opportunity for this region to reverse a…
A doodle a day: Entrepreneur maps lucrative ambitions beyond ‘popping’ new OP mural
A recently completed mural within the Edison District’s walkable community paints downtown Overland Park as the new hub for Kansas City, said Evan Brown. The commissioned piece aims to grab attention, as well as signal the client’s vision of an up-and-coming space for a new generation of residents and workers who are driving the metro…
CAPS goes international with latest affiliate; builds new student connections with Summer Bash
A Johnson County-born professional studies program for teenagers is going international, said Corey Mohn, announcing CAPS’ new partnership with Holy Trinity School in Ontario, Canada. “I feel like we can learn from working with a different system and with students from a different culture,” said Mohn, executive director of the Blue Valley School District Center…
Mom’s Insta-Meal secret sauce for work-life balance: Put dinner in a pot and walk away
Having a family and a thriving startup don’t have to be mutually exclusive experiences, said Robyn Wagner, sharing her journey to build a food brand that lives up to legacy-rich Kansas City standards — with a twist all its own. “If you really have an idea and you want to go for it, there’s somebody out…
‘Thin Line Between Cupcake and Bitch’: Women find universal message in bestseller, KC author says
Joni Wickham’s blunt new book — “The Thin Line Between Cupcake and Bitch” — isn’t intended to spark controversy, the Kansas City author said of her collection of experiences forged as a woman in leadership and politics. “You wouldn’t believe how many people tried to convince me to change the title of the book, and…
