Some like it hot: KC named top startup town

You’re hot, Kansas City, and it’s not just your sweltering summer heat.

Entrepreneur Magazine recently named Kansas City — Mo. and Kan. — as one of nine “hot startup cities” that are outside of San Francisco and New York City.

Although Kansas City is also known for its tech prowess, the magazine largely noted the City of Fountains as a foodie town that concocts a variety of specialty foods. Entrepreneur reported that since 2013, 71 new food companies launched in the area.

“Krizman’s House of Sausage has been selling ethnic sausages and knockwurst to Kansas City locals since 1939,” the article reads. “It’s one of the city’s growing number of specialty-foods businesses—including bakeries, breweries, distilleries, candy-makers and, of course, bottlers of barbecue sauce. Driving this growth are three local food-business incubators, including the Farm to Table Kitchen housed at the famed City Market, designed to help ‘foodpreneurs’ connect with mentors, commercial kitchens, collaborative infrastructure, marketing awareness and the greater Kansas City food community.”

Other cities on Entrepreneur’s “hot startup cities” list are Salt Lake City, Baltimore, Nashville, Sacramento, Minneapolis – St. Paul, Houston, Boston and Los Angeles.