Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Felicia and Derek Hatcher, BlackTech Week

BlackTech Week curating GEW conversation between founders with ‘true experiences’

Bringing BlackTech Week to Kansas City for a day — and debuting the event series during Global Entrepreneurship Week — seemed like a natural fit, said Denayja Reese. The Miami-based festival draws together black entrepreneur leaders who already are championing the startup hustle of their communities, she said. Powered by Code Fever, which was founded…

MECA Challenge at the Hy-Vee Arena, School of the Future

Don’t just play the game: MECA Challenge urges students to innovate ‘school of the future’

Challenging Kansas City students to envision “the school of the future” will usher in a paradigm shift wherein teens can see themselves as customers of school, said Katie Kimbrell optimistically. “[Students] don’t even think, ‘Oh, I could rethink this whole thing that I’m experiencing,’ and choose — or even demand — something different,” said Kimbrell,…

Jeff Jones, H&R Block

H&R Block must reconnect with startup energy, innovation, CEO Jeff Jones says

Jeff Jones’ journey to Kansas City — winding through hangouts with popstar Justin Timberlake, dinner with Oprah, and a stint driving one of the world’s most dominant sharing economy companies — has been transformative, the H&R Block CEO said. And if the homegrown corporate juggernaut he now leads is to meet its stretch potential, the…

Startup Crawl 2018

First Friday takeover: Startup Crawl draws 600-plus, showcasing KC, risk-takers, creatives (Photos)

Editor’s note: Startup Crawl and Startland News are both programs of the Kansas City Startup Foundation, though the content below was produced independently by Startland. For more information on the relationship, click here. First Friday revelers and curious minds alike were treated to a five-stop Startup Crawl tour of Kansas City’s entrepreneur community — from…

Novel City Ventures preps accelerator launch for worldwide socio-economic impact

A new accelerator in Kansas City is planning to spur change at a global scale through its inaugural cohort of mission-driven organizations. The Novel City Chamber of Innovation announced this week it has launched the Novel City Ventures Accelerator to fuel the next wave of disruptive thinkers and entrepreneurs. Beginning on Oct. 23, the 12-week…