Startland News Staff
Sometimes we share credit. The “Staff Writer” byline appears on stories reported, written, or edited collaboratively by members of the Startland News team — especially for quick hits and breaking news.
Recent Stories by Startland News Staff
UMKC receives $12.97M grant from Kauffman Foundation to boost barrier breaking across KC region, beyond
Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. New grant provides support to continue and expand entrepreneurship programs on the UMKC campus and across the Kansas City region The University of Missouri-Kansas City has received a historic, five-year, $12.97 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation…
LaunchKC eyes startups building ‘a more prosperous and equitable future’; Social Venture Studio opens apps
A program created in late 2021 to help boost promising social ventures as they create sustainable business models to tackle social, racial, or environmental issues is returning this spring for its second cohort. LaunchKC’s Social Venture Studio is now accepting applications for its program, which aims to drive social impact and return on investment via…
KC startup Pepper secures deal to create new IoT platform with investment from Comcast
The merging of a homegrown IoT startup’s tech and a corporate innovator’s existing smart property management system is expected to accelerate growth for Kansas City-built Pepper, said Scott Ford. The companies on Wednesday announced Pepper and Notion — Comcast’s insurtech business unit — had joined to create a new IoT and smart home platform that…
EquipmentShare nonprofit’s holiday-time gift: No-cost mammograms for 50 community members
COLUMBIA, Missouri — An employee-led foundation affiliated with one of Missouri’s top startups is helping offer free mammogram sessions for up to 50 uninsured individuals in the Boone County area where rapidly-scaling EquipmentShare calls home. The holiday-timed give-back is a partnership between the EquipmentShare Foundation, the Columbia/Boone County Health Department and JCB, the world’s largest…
HERImpact $50K pitch competition returning March 8; Here’s how KC women entrepreneurs can apply
Women business owners and social entrepreneurs in Kansas City are encouraged to compete this spring for up to $50,000 in a Shark Tank-style funding event aimed at investing in women’s ambitions to start and scale local businesses. “Expanding access to capital and mentorship is critical to women’s success as they start their own businesses,” said…
Startland enters new chapter with leadership transition, momentum for news, education programs
A leadership change at Startland is an opportunity for growth within the organization’s dual marquee programs — both of which have evolved rapidly since their inception as ecosystem-building efforts in Kansas City, the organization’s interim CEO said. Business operations for Startland News and its sister program, Startland Education, are now being steered by the two…
Every big city deserves a great Irish pub: KC Hooley House set to fill P&L vacancy before March Madness, NFL Draft
A quartet of entrepreneurs plans to bring a traditional Irish pub with a modern twist back to the Power & Light District in early 2023 — hinting at a made-from-scratch kitchen menu, alongside handcrafted vintage and new mixologist inspired cocktails. “Every big city nationally and internationally has a great Irish pub, the city’s pub, a…
Want to talk (downtown) baseball? Royals set Plexpod Westport Commons for first stop on listening tour
Less than a month after announcing the Royals’ intention to build a $2 billion downtown ballpark district — a vision that would see the Major League Baseball franchise leave its longtime home at Kauffman Stadium — the team’s leadership is opening a community dialogue on its future. The move would boost economic growth for entrepreneurs,…
Agtech startup officially moves its corral to KC with global HQ’s relocation from Oregon
Vytelle’s new global headquarters is joining a region with the largest concentration of industry professionals devoted to the health, well-being, and genetic progress of animals, said Kerryann Kocher, announcing the startup’s official move to Lenexa. “We’re excited to put down roots in the Midwest and call Kansas City home to our global headquarters,” said Kocher,…
Vytelle doubles its bovine IVF lab capacity; outpacing goals since its $13.2M round
A five-year plan initiated by Vytelle’s Series A funding round called for the agtech startup to double its laboratory capacity to produce bovine embryos through in vitro fertilization. Just a year later, the Lenexa-headquarted company already has opened its fifth new lab. Vytelle’s latest facility — in Franklin, Tennessee — is accessible to beef and dairy…