Minority-Led Stories

Her startup needed a user test lab: Access to KC’s World Cup marketplace opened door to rapid, live iteration

CodeAlgo Academy left Union Station with more than just new customers. The edtech startup wrapped its FIFA World Cup-timed residency with a new product roadmap shaped by thousands of conversations throughout the five-week City of Entrepreneurs marketplace.

Shooting his shot: See KC through the lens of a man on stage for Fan Fest’s biggest moments 

Frank Q. Pham’s most-pressing challenge during the FIFA World Cup wasn’t the heat or even getting close to the biggest stage in town. The Kansas City photographer — who seemingly was shooting everything, everywhere throughout the games — was busiest combatting FOMO, he said.

KC to the World pop-up market: MADE MOBB opens its doors to small biz vendors feeling shut out by World Cup

Not every small business could afford a seat at Kansas City’s World Cup table, so the metro’s premiere streetwear shop is pulling up a few extra chairs, said Mark Launiu.

Free kicks with Great Jobs KC: Students develop 3D-printed soccer tee amid World Cup

“We got the idea from rugby kicking tees,” said Campbell Higgins, a UMKC student participating in the Great Jobs KC program. “We looked at that and asked, ‘How can we improve on it for free kicks?'”

His work welcomed tens of thousands to KC: Meet the designer behind City of Entrepreneurs’ bold look

A small business takeover inside Union Station — transforming its historic Grand Hall into a marketplace tapestry of brightly-colored, bodega-style storefronts — is just one piece of a sprawling campaign to rebrand Kansas City as the City of Entrepreneurs, said Max Ayalla.