KC’s first Vietnamese coffee shop brews $20K at AltCap Your Biz; other winners include an urban farm, development company and selfie studio
Cafe Cà Phê can now afford to build bathrooms in its anticipated brick-and-mortar coffee location, Jackie Nguyen teased on Instagram after being awarded the grand prize at the 2021 AltCap Your Biz: Pitch Competition. “The $20,000 will go toward... Read more
Dogged by pandemic, one KC veterinarian diagnosed potential to expand without just mooving
Editor’s note: The following story is sponsored by Academy Bank, a Kansas City based community bank, and is part of a series of features spotlighting some of the bank’s startup and small business partners. When Dr. Aaron Stohs left Kansas State... Read more
Leawood firm partners with BestyBnB on tech platform to protect domestic violence survivors, their pets
Fresh off news of its $2 million investment by a local businesswoman and prominent animal advocate, Kansas City-based startup BestyBnB this week announced a new pet reservation tech platform — built by a company in neighboring Leawood. Available... Read more
KC Velocity launches as re-imagined Lee’s Summit accelerator goes metro-wide
An entrepreneur-backed support organization for early stage founders and business leaders across Kansas City went live this week — the culmination of an intensive rebranding campaign for an accelerator previously geared specifically to Lee’s Sum... Read more
KC Tech Council program preps veterans to face new battle: Kansas City’s workforce
Ian Whitehill went from military deployment to software bootcamp, waging a new career as a software engineering technologist at Lenexa-based Genuen thanks to KC Tech Council’s emerging apprenticeship program. “I always wanted to do something whe... Read more
Some mysteries at historic 9th & State might never be solved — and bar owner Heather Hamilton is OK with it
Feeling invincible is a thing of the past, Heather Hamilton said, revealing a diagnosis that stopped her in her tracks and poured a change of perspective for the West Bottoms bar owner. “Knowing that I’m gene-positive for Huntington... Read more
The through line of Parker Graham’s startup journey so far: resiliency. “People like to joke that cockroaches just don’t die,” laughed Graham, reflecting after his fintech company, Finotta — more pheonix rising than cockroach surviving — recentl... Read more
Community Builders to Watch: Nia Richardson redefines city’s role in building wealth (and the freedom that comes with it)
Editor’s note: Startland News is showcasing six Kansas City changemakers from five local organizations in its inaugural Community Builders to Watch list. The following highlights one of the 2021 honorees, selected from more than 100 initial nomi... Read more
Ho-ho-holiday bars: These Christmas-themed pop-ups will be your next seasonal spot for selfies, spirits
It’s Christmas in Kansas City — almost, teased the restaurant group behind the metro’s popular Miracle holiday pop-up bars, announcing their return and two brand new locations. “It’s official, we’re back,” Rockhill Restaurant Group, which... Read more
New in KC: Wichita-grown foodie whips up 4.5M TikTok, Youtube users with passion (and ramen) as her only guides
Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. This series is sponsored by C2FO, a L... Read more