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.”
US biotechs gave China control over your medicine; here’s how KC’s $38M+ BioHub initiative could win it back
“Biologic medicines are the drugs of the future: the insulin that manages a child’s diabetes, the immunotherapy that shrinks a tumor, the vaccine that stops a pandemic in its tracks,” said Melissa Roberts Chapman. The problem: China already has a 30-year head start controlling access to those critical medicines.
Albatross Golf expands HQ plans with straight-line to fall opening; Hard Hat Happy Hour preview gets Thursday tee time
A friendly bounce this spring offered the team behind Albatross Golf a lucky break: more space than originally anticipated to launch a flagship storefront and headquarters in Prairie Village for its trio of portfolio businesses.
Reuben dogs in the rough: Crossroads Golf adds ‘craft-forward’ dining, drinks to neighborhood indoor golf
Crossroads Golf is more than a blending of cocktail culture with Crossroads vibes, owners of the new sports entertainment venue said. The 4,000-square-foot space — which technically sits just inside Westside — is meant to be a boundary-hopping mesh of neighborhoods.
Flare Tha Rebel shares a love letter to A City Called Killah: Why KC deserves more than its flyover label
When it came time for Flare Tha Rebel to write his latest album, the project became something of a love letter to Kansas City, the hip-hop artist said, noting too often his homebase is mistakenly viewed as a flyover region instead of the destination.
Teens match athletic enthusiasm with entrepreneur mindset to monetize KC sports scene
As young athletes look to monetize their teen sports experiences, two entrepreneurs see openings to turn their passions into businesses.
Local grocers integrating AI into shopping experience as small businesses fill carts with tech
A group of Kansas City-area grocers are teaming with an artificial intelligence startup in hopes of making customers’ dollars go farther, Tal Zlotnitsky said, along with harnessing cutting-edge technology to help the businesses themselves stay competitive.