Fund Me, KC: Tohi Ventures pours pandemic lemons into healthy drink donation effort
Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses or lend a helping hand to others. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like Shari Coulter Ford’s campaign to dona... Read more
How Travis Kelce, Operation Breakthrough plan to turn this old muffler shop into a coworking space, lab for teens
As organizers look to re-open the doors to Walt Disney’s historic Laugh-O-gram Studios, they’re introducing Kansas Citians to a new era along Troost — in-part ushered in by a Kansas City Chiefs star and one of the city’s highest impact non-profi... Read more
Nine Zero One Igloo Bar: KC’s hottest new nightspot offers an escape on ice (but the clock is ticking)
The City of Fountains is frozen over atop The Fontaine Hotel, transformed into an aurora borealis-inspired vision of Scandinavian Iceland for a limited run pop-up — Nine Zero One Igloo Bar. “This project has been over a year in the making,” exp... Read more
Meet the latest tech startups joining the ranks of Digital Sandbox KC in the new year
A new year means a jump-started opening for Splitsy and two other Kansas City startups joining the roster of Digital Sandbox KC-funded companies, said Brad Starnes. “We could not thank the Sandbox enough for the opportunity to be in a position t... Read more
‘Business is pointless unless you’re helping others’: Makerspace connects community through woodworking
Building and creating with one’s own hands is an experience unlike any other, said Deborah Giudicessi. “There’s that sense of accomplishment and pride that comes with building something,” said Giudicessi, founder of The DIY Woodshop in Olathe.... Read more
How challenging norms could be Black founders’ key to overcoming lingering funding gap
When authenticity and startup culture collide, Black founders and entrepreneurs of color often don’t see the same opportunities as their white counterparts, said Daniel Smith, contributing to a gap in funding that splits along racial lines. “I t... Read more
Mayo Clinic partnership proves TripleBlind’s privacy tech can be applied to healthcare, co-founder says
A new partnership with Mayo Clinic will put Kansas City-stored TripleBlind’s data privacy promise to the test. “We hope to demonstrate the potential of applying TripleBlind’s data privacy and data clean room solution to accelerate how we develo... Read more
Rethinking healthcare: How a doctor and activist brought more than 5,000 COVID-19 tests to KC’s most vulnerable
A primary care physician with an innovative take on healthcare and a passionate activist with an extensive background in video production might seem like an unlikely duo, said Dr. Allison Edwards. But she and serial creative Jay Austin united th... Read more
Q39 savors doubled sales as barbecue-craving Kansas City drives pandemic survival to-go
Kansas City’s restaurant scene will come roaring back in 2021, predicted Rob Magee, serving up a look back at Q39’s wildest year in business and offering his take on what’s made the fast-casual barbecue joint so popular with customers. “We... Read more
UpDown Nightlife set to relaunch app; secures lead investor for $500K seed round
When COVID-19 turned out the lights on nightlife in 2020, Joshua Lewis didn’t go into panic mode, he said. The persistent founder used the time to flesh out his app’s tech platform — and in the process found a key funder for UpDown Nightlife. “T... Read more