Latest Stories

Blade & Timber at Power & Light

Blade & Timber opening new axe-throwing experience at Power & Light in late summer

Blade & Timber hopes to stick its cutting-edge axe-throwing concept in the bullseye of Kansas City entertainment, opening a new 11-lane facility in the Power & Light District by the end of the summer. “We are excited to continue growing our brand nationally, while staying true to our roots,” said Ryan Henrich, co-founder of Blade…

Mobility Designed boosted by $1.7M in funding, planning new product launch this summer

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Regnier Institute, but was independently produced on behalf of Startland News. Pressure to succeed has only increased since Kansas City-based Mobility Designed found its footing as the first new design for crutches since the Civil War, said co-founders Max and Liliana Younger. What…

Buck Wimberly and Joey Mendez, ULAH

Double-clicks to dollars: ULAH duo aims to convert Insta following into ruggedly chic shoppers

A dream has become brick-and-mortar reality for Buck Wimberly and Joey Mendez, the duo taking ULAH from Instagram underdog to Westwood success story. “We wanted the brand to feel sophisticated, accessible and friendly,” explained Wimberly, co-owner of ULAH — a men’s apparel and lifestyle store, tucked within the Woodside Village Shops along Rainbow Boulevard. A…

Zach Pettet Henry Bloch

Zach Pettet: Henry Bloch gave KC a legacy to believe in; now it’s our turn to make him proud

Editor’s note: Zach Anderson Pettet is vice president of FinTech strategy at nbkc bank and managing director of Fountain City FinTech. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Henry Bloch made an immeasurable impact on Kansas City. The H&R Block co-founder’s April 23 death shook many of us; though we knew it was…

Ben Hubbard and Bek Abdullayev, Super Dispatch COO

Super Dispatch hires experienced startup driver as COO to navigate its global growth map for 2019 and beyond

From the fifth employee at Webmail.us to No. 50 for KC-based Super Dispatch, a startup leader with a long track record of building innovative operations has joined the executive team alongside founder and CEO Bek Abdullayev. “Super Dispatch is taking off,” said Ben Hubbard, the company’s new chief operating officer. “They have things figured out…

Thee Outpost at Collective EX, Thou Mayest

Thou Mayest acquires Quay Coffee; three new locations to stretch footprint from River Market to Crossroads to Nelson-Atkins

A Kansas City coffee brand just got bolder, announcing the acquisition of another coffee company and plans to open an entirely new concept in the Crossroads. Thou Mayest is now operating Quay Coffee — with its two locations in River Market and at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art — confirmed Bo Nelson, co-founder of Thou Mayest…

Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge

$75K up for grabs in student pitch competition backed by Kansas Masons, K-State

A cross-section of student entrepreneurs from across the state of Kansas are set to win big, Tuesday — if they can level with a room full of sharks at the K-State College of Business. Testing the power in their pitches, the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge is expected to award student innovators from 65 high schools and the…

WeWork Corrigan Station, WeWork report

WeWork report links coworking space to success of startups, Techstars KC, KC Collective

Nearly two years after it made its Kansas City debut, WeWork is delivering a measurable impact on the startup ecosystem, the company said Monday. A first-of-its-kind WeWork research project — the WeWork Global Impact Report — examined the scope of the Crossroads Arts District co-working site and its influence on entrepreneurs metro-wide. Takeaways from the…

KC’s SaRA Health tapping cross-country, international resources for startup’s acceleration

Techstars Kansas City graduate, SaRa Health is cutting through the noise of the San Diego startup scene, already shining bright among the healthtech mecca’s competitive entrepreneurial ecosystem, CEO Steven Coen said proudly. The metro-grown company recently joined the Nex Cubed Digital Healthcare accelerator — a semi-remote program that promises to drive commercial exposure and prepare founders…

Elaina Brownlee, Plexpod

KCultivator Q&A: Elaina Brownlee finds supporting KC as easy as riding a bike (just don’t ask her to get behind the handlebars)

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. Big-time investors don’t beat the collective “cheering squad” behind Kansas City’s entrepreneurial…