Minority-Led Stories

Community Builders to Watch: Maria Flynn engineers a future where KC’s digital health legacy rivals its football

Editor’s note: Startland News is showcasing five Kansas City changemakers from five local organizations through its third annual Community Builders to Watch series. The following highlights one of the 2023 honorees, selected from more than 100 initial nominees. Click here to view the full list of Community Builders to Watch — presented by Cyderes. Check…

Businesses welcome KC neighbors to taste, tour flavors of the Northeast with one-day event

Kansas Citians can travel the world without leaving the city’s Northeast, said Bobbi Baker, detailing plans for Friday’s Taste & Tour event that showcases flavors from across the globe. “With this particular tour, you never have to leave [Independence] Avenue,” said Baker, president and CEO of the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. The Taste…

Meet the cohort: Founder scaling Startup Weekend’s winning idea through Columbia venture fund, studio

COLUMBIA, Missouri — Winning Missouri Startup Weekend this spring put Chrystal Graves one step closer to revolutionizing the beauty industry, she shared, noting the victory helped secure her spot in the Scale venture fund and studio. “I have been passionate about helping salons be profitable and inclusive for a long time, but I thought building…

‘I Am’ the domino effect: This changemaker wants to show youth impacted by redlining another reality

When Elijah Dormeus moved to Kansas City in 2019, he brought with him a nonprofit that provides mentorship and leadership training to students in underserved communities, with the end goal of empowering them to achieve their dreams. “The I Am Foundation really came from leading, encouraging, and motivating students to see themselves greater than their…

World Cup is coming to KC (and so are the asks): How leaders must boost the region before 2026

Kansas City is steadily growing and evolving, said Neal Sharma, making it more important than ever to engage at the community level to tackle challenges and secure opportunities facing the region. That’s especially true as Kansas City prepares for the 2026 World Cup, echoed fellow leaders who spoke Thursday at KC Rising’s Horizon 2023 event….