Techstars prescribes $220K investment, credibility boost for KC healthtech startup
“It’s a point of validation that somebody else thinks highly enough of the vision we’ve set,” said Dr. Brandy Archie. “We think we can grow to be a force and make a big change in the world, and they back that with dollars and see that possibility.”
GEWKC returns to Union Station with maker fair, packed lineup of startup, small biz speakers
“Every year, we think we can’t possibly top the previous year; and yet every year, our attendees, speakers, makers and supporters blow us away,” said Callie England, director of GEWKC. “This event is one of the highlights of our year because it shows everything the Innovation Center and our partners do for entrepreneurs, all in one place.”
Sports-wellness tech cohort adds two more Kansas City companies in time for tip off
An intensive week of programming opened Monday at ShotTracker’s headquarters in Overland Park as a small cohort of founders — including two just-added Kansas City area innovators — began an immersive new experience led by Endeavor Heartland an Keystone Innovation District.
Hydrangea House grows into long-vacant, Tudor-style Brookside police and fire station
Mother-daughter duo Jessica Carpenter and Abigail Gaughan have been deep cleaning the 6,265-square-foot space — putting in new ceiling and floor tiles, upgrading plumbing, and hanging one-of-a-kind chandeliers. Three trucks of merchandise await, filled with homegoods and vintage and antique furniture.
‘Shark Tank’ is TV (not reality), founders say; Students urged to prepare for the grind, think like entrepreneurs
“You can work for the biggest company in the United States and can still be an entrepreneur within those walls of that company,” said Mathes, a namesake for the Mathes Innovation Center at William Jewell College. “So, if you want to be successful in whatever career you’re in, you need to at least think like an entrepreneur.”
How this KC-area college turned entrepreneurs’ ventures into a fast-growing MBA program
“People don’t want to study theory,” said Taras Polik, founder of London-based startup OneDay. “They can watch videos online on YouTube. They really want to do practical things with their own hands and learn this way.”
Cyphr partners with Topeka’s Omni Circle to help Kansas entrepreneurs prepare for growth
Topeka entrepreneurs have the hardware; now comes the Kansas City-built platform needed to get them to the next level. A new capital readiness tool is expected to boost ongoing startup support efforts by Omni Circle Group, which already distributed 300 free laptops to local emerging business leaders.
Expansion made to order: Where the young owner of GJ Fish & Chicken is opening next
With a fryer full of business experience already bubbling behind the counter, 25-year-old Ali Modder is expanding his family’s restaurant business — scaling from South Kansas City, across to the state line, to what soon will be a sixth location for the popular GJ Fish & Chicken.
Trio of KC companies join roster for first-ever sports-wellness tech pilot at Keystone
A weeklong sports and wellness tech cohort is set to launch in mid-November — drawing hometown innovators, as well as founders from the Midwest, South and West Coast for an initiative designed to help high-growth companies bring new technologies to market, faster.
Missouri-built autonomous railcars deploying to Columbia tracks in $16.2M federal tech test
A project meant to demonstrate the viability of autonomous freight railcars along the more than 600 short lines across the U.S. is rolling forward thanks to a $16.2 million federal grant connecting TugVolt technology to Missouri’s Columbia Terminal Railroad (COLT).
KC Chamber honorees renew commitment to diversity efforts out of conviction, not obligation
The world is a scary place right now, Jay Herron acknowledged, telling attendees of the KC Chamber’s POWER of Diversity Luncheon that it’s more important than ever not to back down from corporate and business initiatives built around strengthening inclusion for all.
World Cup numbers: KC made less money than it predicted, despite attracting more visitors
Kansas City sold itself to the world over the summer as the little World Cup host city that could, and it invested about $200 million in public funds to do so. More than three months after the FIFA World Cup matches ended, that may be ringing true. The world’s smallest 2026 host city welcomed an…
Pipeline teams with UMKC to connect paid student consultants with Midwest founders
“Whether a founder is just getting started or scaling a company, there are almost always more opportunities and challenges than there are people available to work on them,” Melissa Vincent said. “Small teams are busy running the business, and strategic projects can keep getting pushed back, even when they could make a meaningful difference in the company’s growth.”