Minority-Led Stories
2026 Startups to Watch: The Good Game connects young athletes with on-demand sports experts
Editor’s note: Startland News editors selected 10 high-growth, scaling Kansas City companies to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch project. Now in its 11th year, this feature recognizes founders and startups that editors believe will make some of the biggest, most compelling news in the coming 12 months. The following is one of 2026’s…
10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026
It’s that moment just before dawn, as Kansas City awakens to a new year — ripe with possibilities, potential and change. The light breaks and all eyes turn to the horizon; toward the looming FIFA World Cup, sports stadium shifts, and long-awaited developments and destinations coming on line. But tucked within the twinkling edges of…
INCLŪSIV gym opens wellness to people struggling to adapt in a world that too often excludes them
After more than a decade trying to fit into places that weren’t built with accessibility in mind, Wesley Hamilton’s private wellness space in Midtown is opening the new year with a fresh perspective on healing, growing and thriving — free from judgment, questions, and the urge to meet someone else’s expectations, the founder said. INCLŪSIV…
His BBQ is no joke: This comedian-turned-entrepreneur uses an inclusive menu to get families back on the same page
After nearly a year in the smoker, Brodric Cason is lifting the lid on B-On-Meatz — a catering company with an appetite for ensuring everyone can enjoy Kansas City barbecue, no matter their dietary restrictions. B-On-Meatz BBQ offers vegan and traditional barbecue, using kosher and halal meats. Launched in early 2025, the business has a…
Overnight proof? Boujee Baker KC rising after decades in the ooey-gooey making
It’s the wee hours of the morning. Pitch-dark sky, hardly a murmur on these urban streets. Most of Kansas City tucked in their cozy beds. But inside this tiny brick building on 12th Street earlier this week, the lights are bright, R&B music is buzzing, and the oven is blazing — ready to finish off…
