Minority-Led Stories
$30K grand prize: Sisters embrace vegan comfort eats potential with Mattie’s Food’s big win
Arvelisha Woods and India Monique plan to use their grand prize winnings from Friday’s We Are Black pitch competition to invest in the community’s health, they said. Mattie’s Foods won $30,000 in the second annual G.I.F.T. event, which saw 10 Black-owned businesses vying for funding to fuel their business dreams. The winning co-founders of the…
InvestMidwest releases startup lineup for April conference; KC companies set to pitch
Eight Kansas City startups are among 40 companies selected to pitch in April at InvestMidwest — reflecting not only a diversity of founder representation, but a wide range of agriculture, health, and digital technology innovations from across the Midwest, said Claire Kinlaw. “The caliber of talent and innovation among the chosen companies is truly remarkable, and…
Quick studies: These Kansans just left their college careers for $500K (and a crash course in startups)
When a friend encouraged Aditya Joshi and Varun Verma to apply for the Y Combinator accelerator program, the Wichita natives didn’t expect to land an interview, they shared — much less get accepted. “Truly, all we had was this idea and a couple of months under our belt of just talking to different folks,” Joshi…
Siblings spin family pet into family business, capitalizing on alpaca’s plush potential
One Wyandotte County family’s trip to a local fair inspired their interest in alpacas, but it wasn’t until they brought one of the animals home as a pet that they realized the business opportunities they’d unleashed. “That’s where the idea started of — ‘Hey, we can actually make this an Alpaca clothing company and reduce…
Black Drip releases canned cold brew as KC coffee maker leans into creative blends
A new cold brew version from Charon Thompson’s popular Kansas City coffee brand drips with strength, the co-founder said, teasing its arrival on the market just as the metro begins to heat up for the spring. “I can’t sell hot coffee when it’s like 92 degrees,” said Thompson, recalling an experience during a Black Drip…
