Discover the stories shaping the future of Kansas City.
From emerging startups to the people making headlines, catch up on the latest in entrepreneurship and innovation across Greater Kansas City.
Black business advocate GIFT wraps holiday markets to close visibility gap for entrepreneurs
The holiday shopping season offers many retail-focused entrepreneurs a gift of their own, said Kharissa Parker, describing opportunities for emerging Black business owners to meet customers in-person at events like Kansas City G.I.F.T.’s Small Business Saturday Black Business Market.
How Polsinelli stepped onto the national stage without walking away from its KC roots
“We’re not just a national law firm that happens to have an office in Kansas City,” said Greg Kratofil. “We’ve been helping build this city’s technology ecosystem for decades while also building a national practice capable of representing some of the most innovative companies in the world.”
GEWKC returns to Union Station with maker fair, packed lineup of startup, small biz speakers
“Every year, we think we can’t possibly top the previous year; and yet every year, our attendees, speakers, makers and supporters blow us away,” said Callie England, director of GEWKC. “This event is one of the highlights of our year because it shows everything the Innovation Center and our partners do for entrepreneurs, all in one place.”
Sports-wellness tech cohort adds two more Kansas City companies in time for tip off
An intensive week of programming opened Monday at ShotTracker’s headquarters in Overland Park as a small cohort of founders — including two just-added Kansas City area innovators — began an immersive new experience led by Endeavor Heartland an Keystone Innovation District.
Hydrangea House grows into long-vacant, Tudor-style Brookside police and fire station
Mother-daughter duo Jessica Carpenter and Abigail Gaughan have been deep cleaning the 6,265-square-foot space — putting in new ceiling and floor tiles, upgrading plumbing, and hanging one-of-a-kind chandeliers. Three trucks of merchandise await, filled with homegoods and vintage and antique furniture.
‘Shark Tank’ is TV (not reality), founders say; Students urged to prepare for the grind, think like entrepreneurs
“You can work for the biggest company in the United States and can still be an entrepreneur within those walls of that company,” said Mathes, a namesake for the Mathes Innovation Center at William Jewell College. “So, if you want to be successful in whatever career you’re in, you need to at least think like an entrepreneur.”
How this KC-area college turned entrepreneurs’ ventures into a fast-growing MBA program
“People don’t want to study theory,” said Taras Polik, founder of London-based startup OneDay. “They can watch videos online on YouTube. They really want to do practical things with their own hands and learn this way.”
KC luxury watch startup, Niall lands in Tivol stores
Luxury timepiece-maker Niall will soon be selling its watches with one of Kansas City’s most prestigious jewelers. The Kansas City-based watchmaker will start selling its timepieces at two Kansas City Tivol stores on June 18, offering it both exposure and validation, Niall CEO Mike Wilson said. Tivol is the company’s first major retailer, Wilson said….
Kauffman Foundation selects familiar face as new CEO
After a yearlong, nationwide search for a new CEO, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation wound up selecting one of its own. The Kansas City-based foundation selected Wendy Guillies as the Foundation’s new president and CEO. Guillies, who previously served as interim CEO and vice president of communications for the foundation, joined the organization in April…
EyeVerify enters new European market with Vodafone deal
Biometrics tech company EyeVerify is continuing its global expansion into Europe with a new deal. The Kansas City-based firm recently announced a licensing and marketing agreement with Turkish security tech company Olcsan CAD. The deal makes Olcsan the exclusive distributor of EyeVerify’s eye vein biometrics technology, or Eyeprint ID, throughout Turkey. “We’re pleased to partner…
What’s in a name? MindMixer gets new moniker
A year after its move to Kansas City, MindMixer is making a name change. Formerly based in Omaha, MindMixer now will go by the name of its new software product, mySidewalk, which engages communities to share ideas and stay informed of new initiatives. “Like all businesses, the more we learn about the people we serve,…
Event-staffing tech firm Pop Bookings opens seed round at $250K
Kansas City-based Pop Bookings is scoring local love from angel investors as it hopes to bolster its seed round to further develop its online event-staffing platform. A recent graduate of business accelerator SparkLabKC, Pop Bookings opened its round in April at $250,000, with lead investments from Kansas City-area angel investors. Pop Bookings CEO Erika Klotz said…
Schukman: 5 ways to fuse a social mission in your company
I’ve recently been exploring ways in which traditional companies have been retroactively becoming social entrepreneurs. Recall from my last piece that social entrepreneurship is a businessperson that creates a profit and purpose-driven organization in which the business and social missions run in tandem. Our social mission, therefore, becomes a key component of our marketing, branding,…