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.”
City greenlights ‘Block One’ of Luminary Park over I-670; It’ll be all gas, no brakes to hit 2028 finish
A critical vote of support from Kansas City leaders this week helped lock in a mix of state and federal funding needed to make Roy Blunt Luminary Park a reality. But the move exchanges one ticking clock deadline for another, officials said, as the first leg of the massive I-670 cap project starts its race to a mandatory August 2028 interstate reopening.
Inside the $112M Tickets For Less exit: Deal would tap live event tech, add sports verticals
A move to acquire Overland Park-built Tickets For Less for $112 million serves as a launching pad for Kustom Entertainment, said founder and CEO Stan Ross, giving the music industry veteran a tech boost in his bid to develop a fully integrated, end-to-end live entertainment ecosystem.
KC Symphony exec tries his hand at booktech founder after shelving dot-com era entrepreneurship
An injury that immobilized Danny Beckley’s wrist put a sudden halt to his hobbies — from woodworking and gardening to piloting planes — but opened a new chapter on entrepreneurial side hustles and returned him to the tech world he’d previously left behind to lead orchestras.
Million-dollar prize: Meet 10 KC companies vying for Startup World Cup, attention of global investors
KCSourceLink on Wednesday revealed the 10 companies advancing to the Startup World Cup’s Kansas City regional tournament, where selected entrepreneurs will compete for a shot at the global pitch event’s $1 million investment prize.
KC Animal Health Corridor touts region’s biggest strengths: talent, industry leaders
Champions don’t emerge in isolation, said Kimberly Young, emphasizing that at a time when protecting the food supply and promoting public health have become critical priorities for the nation, Kansas City’s innovation ecosystem powers the heart of the region’s animal health corridor.
This concept’s Aloha spirit needed a middle-America start; here’s how it expanded from a KC island to the mainland
Hawaiian Bros’ latest restaurant opened today in Indianapolis. That makes 83 restaurants across 14 states, with nearly 300 additional restaurants under development agreements across 18 states. Much of that growth is being driven by franchisees who already operate large restaurant portfolios.