Search Results: Smart city initiative

Arch Grants taps homegrown founders, Missouri startup recruits for $1.6M in awards

ST. LOUIS — The Missouri maker behind a keychain designed to save lives from opioid overdoses is among nearly two dozen companies — together awarded $1.6 million — selected for the latest Arch Grants program. The innovation economy nonprofit on Thursday honored 19 startups, alongside three new members of its expanded Arch Grants Fellows Program….

KCultivator Q&A: Jessica Powell gets candid about ‘KC Nice’ (and how she’d spend $1M)

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Let’s get real, Jessica Powell said with a wry smirk, explaining her vision for a Kansas City that works together — and stops cannibalizing its own.   “I’m a startup junkie,” the community champion and founder of Social…

Gatekeepers hate to see them coming: Why Back2KC leaders think these outsiders could be the next best Kansas Citians

A Kansas City homecoming movement with a track record of sparking real relocations and startup investment is gearing up for its annual gathering — welcoming expatriates and newcomers alike as it seeks to deepen ties between the city and its far-flung alumni. But the program’s high-octane leader insists the work of Back2KC isn’t just about…

Jeff Jones, H&R Block

H&R Block CEO files retirement plans; company sets ‘smooth transition’ to new chief executive

Announcing his plan to retire at the end of 2025, the CEO for one of Kansas City’s most iconic businesses called his work at H&R Block the past eight years “the honor of a lifetime.” “We have elevated Block’s relevance, built an extraordinary culture, made bold bets to drive growth, rebuilt about every piece of…

Pilot competition taps drugless mental health solution for latest tech-infused cohort

A Kansas City-connected startup that helps users see their feelings with its drugless biofeedback/neurofeedback technologies is among 10 companies selected for the latest pilot cohort from NXTUS in Wichita. Finalists for the 2025 NXTSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition were announced Wednesday, including Columbia, Missouri-based Healium, which offers tech-driven mental wellness products that quickly…