Latest Stories

Steve Case to KC entrepreneurs, investors: You can’t sit back now

To nudge more Kansas Citians off of the sidelines and into its budding entrepreneurial ecosystem, former AOL founder Steve Case spoke Friday to a group of local investors at a luncheon. KCRise Fund managing director Darcy Howe hosted a fireside chat with Case for a crowd of investors, potential investors and entrepreneurs. Case told the…

Ginsburg: Fundamental — but routinely botched — elements of a winning pitch

Editor’s note: A five-year mentor at UMKC’s Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Byron Ginsburg has heard and counseled many entrepreneurial pitches as an attendee and a judge. His current UMKC mentees, Emily Moon and Kelsey Carlstedt of By Grace Design, won first place and $20,000 in the 2017 Regnier Venture Creation Challenge.   While…

Events Preview: Sprint Accelerator Demo Day, TechHire KC

There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Are you hosting a relevant community event? Feel free to add it to the FWD/KC calendar for increased exposure. Once your event…

Sustainable River Market development project booking tenants with virtual reality tours

Jonathan Arnold believes that choosing quality over quantity doesn’t have to break the bank. In fact, he said it makes great business sense.   Arnold, principal at Arnold Development Group, is working to transform modern real estate development with a more sustainable future. “At its heart, sustainable development means doing more with less,” Arnold said….

Listen: Leaders analyze KC’s entrepreneurial milestones, assess challenges

To say that Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community has matured in the last 15 years would be an understatement. Many leaders say that if you lived in the metro during the early 2000s and were to return now, you may not even recognize the place. Taking a moment to reflect on how far Kansas City has…

Rush, Reardon, Cobb and other entrepreneurial leaders analyze KC ecosystem growth

In 2012, Google Fiber’s arrival in Kansas City lit a fire under the backside of many community leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs. To say that the city has matured would be an understatement. Many leaders say that if you lived in Kansas City in the early 2000s and were to return now, you may not even…

Digital Sandbox expands to St. Joseph, partners with animal health incubator

Digital Sandbox KC will expand its efforts northwest to reach entrepreneurs in St. Joseph, Mo. The proof-of-concept program announced Wednesday that it has established a partnership with Innovation Stockyard, a St. Joseph-based animal science business incubator. Located inside the Christopher S. Kit Bond Incubator, Innovation Stockyard will offer grant recipients of Digital Sandbox office space…

Kansas Citian wins Missouri State Star for her business counseling

On Monday, a Kansas Citian was recognized by America’s Small Business Development Center as the State of Missouri’s most outstanding business counselor. Thanks to her contributions to the region’s business growth, Rebecca Gubbels was named the 2017 Missouri State Star. Gubbels is a business and program consultant at the University of Missouri–Kansas City’s Small Business…

KCRise Fund backs five more KC-area tech startups

Spurring engagement from dozens of area investors, the KCRise Fund has announced five new funding deals in area firms. Launched in 2016 in conjunction with the regional KC Rising economic initiative, the KCRise Fund has added ShotTracker, SMRxT, SquareOffs, Backlot Cars, and Bardavon Health Innovations to its portfolio of now 10 firms. The fund did…

Report: KC artists have spurred hundreds of millions for the region

It’s no secret that art has an impact on the heart and soul. But in Kansas City, art also has a significant impact on the economy. The art industry added a total of $276 million to the metro’s economy in 2015. The figure is a slight increase from the 2010 figure, according to a report…