Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Reporter, Startland News
Nikki brings to Startland News both community journalism and entrepreneurship experience and she loves being able to tell the inspiring stories of fellow creatives and risk-takers.
Before joining Startland News, she worked for over 10 years writing and editing for daily newspapers in Lawrence, Topeka, Duluth, Minnesota, and Park Hills, Missouri. She took a short hiatus from journalism to pursue her dream of becoming a pastry chef and starting her own baking business.
Recent Stories by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Bootleg Bourbon Balls reveals its secret to World Cup chocolate (and booze) lovers
With its decadent flavors and speakeasy past, Kansas City holds a secret, said Lisa Fitch. And she’s eager to share it this summer — one bourbon ball at a time — as visitors like Netherlands’ Orange Army descend on the region.
Small Biz to Watch: Yates & Yates builds from dirt through a sale (with stability, not just dollars in mind)
Watching Kansas City become more than its past is exciting, Nicole Yates said. Participating in that growth is even better, the co-founder of Yates & Yates Co. continued. “There is so much investment,” she explained. “And there are so many people that are really trying to build something that matters, and I’m just grateful that…
Small Biz to Watch: SewKC patches together custom path to growth, sports collaborations
Behind the scenes at a tiki-themed coffee shop in the Crossroads, one couple is stitching together a small business strategy that combines high-profile specialty apparel projects with professional sports organizations and live sew-on-the-go activations in the community.
‘Bubbles and Goo’ adds inclusive play to one of KC’s busiest districts
A newly mixed River Market business opens the doors to a bubbly (and delightfully slimy) space where children of all abilities can play, explore, and make a joyful mess together, said Antoinette Redmond, offering families a gathering space during the FIFA World Cup in Kansas City.
KC startup’s tech deployed at all FIFA Fan Festivals, stadiums to measure World Cup impact
Getting the call to deploy EB Systems’ crowd-tracking technology at some of the world’s most massive events is becoming “business as usual” for the Kansas City startup, but a weeks-long opportunity tied to the FIFA World Cup takes the stakes to an unprecedented level, said Jonathan Ruiz.
Pipeline gala celebrates a startup crowd moving toward the world’s problems (not hiding from them)
When the world feels fractured and hopeless — heavy with economic uncertainty and political division — it needs people who still believe that change is possible, Melissa Vincent told a black-tie crowd of entrepreneurs gathered Friday evening in the Grand Hall at Union Station.
KC’s latest sports franchise takes the field as pro softball players add to local portfolio of women athletes
They might not be from Kansas City, but players for the KC Diamonds — the newest professional sports team in town — have already scored a taste of how the city shows up for women’s sports.
How a KC-brewed probiotic is saving lives in the Philippines by eating toxins in human waste
A cross-culture collaboration between a Crossroads-based probiotics company and a global nonprofit could help ferment a more healthful world beyond poverty, said Matt Wood, describing a new use for the business’ simple, probiotic brew — similar to a kombucha — in stopping disease transmission via unsanitary communal toilets.
Emerging biz of the year put its own twist on Kansas City sweets; now it’s scaling up
Breaking away from the Yogurtini brand as a franchisee — and branching out on his own — took a leap of faith for Isaac Lee Collins, the owner of Fifth & Emery Frozen Yogurt and Chocolate said.
Out-of-the-box business: How Ling Vong’s food truck got more than she bargained for with Labubus
Ling Vong’s decision to sell Labubus alongside her Vietnamese street food wasn’t random, the owner of Dragon Wagon KC and KC Monsters shared. It was a strategy rooted in serving culture, creating experiences, and building community, she said.