FastTrac

The Next Paige Agency

Talent agency plans Next Paige in Kansas City’s story; a $50K grant could bring dream closer to reality

A shift in the arts and entertainment world is allowing Kansas City creatives to step into roles they’ve long deserved, Elaina Paige Thomas said, looking back on a performance career — and new opportunities — that reflect childhood dreams dancing toward reality. “It has been a journey and I never imagined being here this quickly,…

Craig Jones, Savory Addictions

‘You can’t fake that’: Bold flavors, artisan style keep Savory Addictions smoking through times of economic uncertainty 

When raises dried up at work a decade ago, Craig Jones needed a new way to make up lost income.  “It kind of happened by accident. It was never on purpose,” Jones said of the hobby he turned into a side hustle in 2011 and ways it’s since grown into a booming business — Savory Addictions…

Shark-Off

Beach-loving couple hopes to dissolve fear of sharks with Shark OFF repellent bracelets

Saving limbs, lives, and long-villainized, cartilaginous creatures of the sea — it’s the mission behind a first-of-its-kind Overland Park startup, Shark OFF, said Shea and Geoff Geist. “You’re more likely to get killed by a cow. You’re more likely to die falling out of bed,” said Geoff Geist, half of the husband-wife duo who founded…

AY Young, Battery Tour

AY Young pivots Battery Tour to music festival benefitting those without power

With an ear-to-ear grin and his infectious laugh, AY Young admits he’s perhaps an unlikely rapper. Back from taking a shot at stardom in California, the Kansas City-born Eagle Scout-turned-college basketball player-turned performer is plugging into the entrepreneur community in hopes of more efficiently powering the Battery Tour. “We’re essentially using the universal language of…

Lisa Bledsoe, Tea-Biotics Kombucha

Brewers ferment market opportunity, health benefits with kombucha startups

Fermented foods represent more than just trendy, niche products, Kansas City’s kombucha startups say. They’re where gut health and market opportunity meet. “If it’s not local, it’s not fresh,” said Lisa Bledsoe, emphasizing the quality advantage Kansas City brewers have over national brands competing for cooler space at metro grocery stores. Bledsoe’s Tea-Biotics Kombucha has…