Innovation Exchange
Zach Pettet: It’s time to make some noise about KC’s secret bad ass investors
Editor’s note: Zach Pettet is the managing director of Fountain City Fintech and a fintech strategist at nbkc bank, with which Startland News has partnered on a Dec. 6 Innovation Exchange event. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Quiet wealth in Kansas City is a double-edged sword. The upside? You have to…
Hustle in the making: Startups scaling ‘maker’ concept with high-growth models (Photos)
Andy Talbert is in no way crafty, the Snow Pops co-founder said. “At all,” he emphasized, eliciting laughter from the crowd at Startland’s “Hustle in the Making” Innovation Exchange. The event — sponsored by Plexpod and Polsinelli — explored the evolving spectrum of startup businesses that could be considered “makers” in modern entrepreneurial culture. Kansas…
Pet innovators unleash market built on experiences, evolving relationships with dogs (Photos)
Meaningful relationships are no longer only between people, said Davide Rossi, discussing the rise of pet innovators and an emerging market built on experiences with four-legged family members. “They key thing is to recognize that the relationship between us and our pets has been changing,” said Rossi, co-founder of FitBark, a Kansas City-based pet tech…
The not-so-secret Sauce behind KC hip hop entrepreneur’s success: Authenticity
Royce “Sauce” Handy wears his influences and inspiration like pins on the outside of his well-worn jean jacket. The KCK-born hip hop entrepreneur embraces his identity: A collector of Goosebumps books. A student of history. A fan of 1990s family sitcoms. And he’s unapologetically black. His lips twist into a smile and his eyes brighten…
Sandy Kemper at IXKC: Trust is the hack for building FinTech or any startup in KC (Photos)
Act like everyone is watching … because they are, Sandy Kemper said. “It’s something I think a lot of folks — maybe not from around here — fail to understand,” the C2FO chairman and CEO told a packed crowd Tuesday at Startland’s Innovation Exchange at nbkc bank. “You cannot get away with anything. And some…
