Minority-Led Stories

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.

American dream at 250: Why these immigrant entrepreneurs say the payoff is a country where everyone fits on the front porch

Any journey into the world of business can be as lonely as it is grueling, said Isaac Tapia and Rico Alvarez, and that’s before building in the complexities of navigating those challenges as an immigrant entrepreneur. The muralist duo feels blessed for the camaraderie they share. “With everything that’s happening right now at this very…

‘Ghana is KC’s home team in World Cup’: How the West African soccer powerhouse matches Kansas City’s story

When Ghana punched its ticket to a World Cup match against Colombia Friday in Kansas City, Nia Webster already knew who she’d be cheering for. The West African country has become a second home to Webster, who first began making trips to Ghana as a child.

Privacy-first startup reimagines how cities, enterprises access real-world intelligence

As AI moves beyond screens and into streets, buildings, and logistics networks, Surge meets real-world demands by providing data delivered continuously and in real time to build an infrastructure layer that smart cities and autonomous systems actually need to function, its founders said.