Woman-led Stories

Kansas City-built Boddle earns $500K Yass Prize Finalist Award, hits 2M monthly users

MIAMI — Winning a coveted award from Stop for Education is expected to empower Boddle Learning to reach a broader audience than ever before, as well as significantly expanding its curriculum and advancing its cutting-edge AI-powered education tools. Boddle, which launched and grew in Kansas City before relocating to Tulsa, Oklahoma, was announced as a…

Chan Zuckerberg funds KC nonprofit to help AI tech empower educators, innovators

A nearly $1 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is expected to help a Kansas City-based nonprofit expand and strengthen the infrastructure of its national education research and development coalition, its founder said. The funding specifically supports Leanlab Education’s American Group of Innovative Learning Environments (AGILE) Network, a national education R&D network and collective…

Sweet Peaches wants a bigger piece of the pie; crowdfunding could scale this small biz across US

Community support will be key for Sweet Peaches Cobblers next batch of growth, said Denisha Jones, announcing plans to use Kickstarter funding to pack her flavorful and beloved family desserts into the freezers of more major retailers across the U.S. Already a local Kansas City favorite, Sweet Peaches Cobbler can be found in more than…

Una Mas Empanadas folds authentic Argentinian flavors into new restaurant spot at Parlor 

Expanding Silvia Herrera’s business from a food truck in Gardner to one of Kansas City’s most active and eclectic food hubs brings the Buenos Aires-born entrepreneur — and her grandmother’s 50-year-old handcrafted empanada recipe — to an even wider, more diverse audience, she said. “Our empanadas are more than just food,” Herrera said. “They represent…

Office with a pew: Coworking veterans hail ‘untapped potential’ of unused space within churches

A coworking space and a church — united around the idea of building community — formed a unique partnership earlier this year in Kansas City’s northland, said Bob Martin. The CO-OP at Shoal Creek — which Martin and Heather Heckroot opened in January — has taken up residence at Shoal Creek Community Church in Pleasant…