Minority-Led Stories
Ownership influences prosperity: 12-week biz academy targets entrepreneurs past survival mode
The Greenline Foundation is taking a layered approach to economic growth on Kansas City’s east side, Ajia Morris said, connecting entrepreneurship, real estate, and access to capital in ways designed to last. At the center of that work is the Community Business Academy, a 12-week program that gives entrepreneurs practical tools, financial structure, and direct…
This startup veteran’s new roadway safety tool turns any smartphone into a work-zone inspector
Worker safety within high-traffic roadway construction zones is stalled in the 1970s, said founder Zikomo Fields, driving the vision for a 21st century approach that uses tech to hit the brakes on fatalities. “There’s not a lot of software that is ensuring that these work zones are set up correctly,” said Fields, CEO of Kansas…
Pipeline reveals new founder-first cohort: Meet the entrepreneurs fueling a Midwest innovation surge
With more than a dozen new members joining its fellowship, the Pipeline Entrepreneurs network is growing not only its ranks, Melissa Vincent said; the elite founder-focused program is working to ensure the best of Midwest innovation stays in the region. “We have assembled a powerful group of founders, ranging from deep-tech and life sciences in…
Pipeline plants seeds for ‘best of the best’ emerging founders: Meet its growing Pathfinder cohort
Entrepreneurs tapped for Pipeline’s latest rotation of Pathfinder programming reflect an expanded expression of the elite network’s founding principle: use a purpose-built community to close long-standing gaps for leaders who have historically lacked capital, resources, and networks. A sister program to Pipeline’s Fellowship, Pathfinder targets support to early-stage founders from underserved Midwest communities who often…
AI without WiFi: Ag health innovator muzzles a gatekeeper soiling tech for rural ranchers
MyAnIML’s autonomous edge monitoring system is allowing ranchers to go (or stay) off the grid — addressing a primary barrier preventing them from adopting advanced agricultural technology, explained founder Shekhar Gupta. The Overland Park-based agtech startup — whose patented technology uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict a broad range of total health indicators…
