Some like it hot: KC named top startup town

August 6, 2015  |  Bobby Burch

Kansas City's City Market

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.

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

Tagged , ,
Featured Business
    Featured Founder

      2015 Startups to Watch

        stats here

        Related Posts on Startland News

        EquipmentShare launches new flagship store with $21M investment in Grain Valley

        By Tommy Felts | May 20, 2025

        A Missouri unicorn is building impact even closer to Kansas City, opening its new 49,000-square-foot Midwest hub for construction and industrial work in eastern Jackson County. The project reflects an investment of more than $21 million by Columbia, Missouri-based EquipmentShare, said Jabbok Schlacks, CEO and co-founder, describing the property costs, value of equipment and salaries…

        KC GIFT’s $100K grant — its largest-ever — aims to help boost Black-owned job creator

        By Tommy Felts | May 20, 2025

        A newly opened $100,000 grant represents a significant step in Kansas City GIFT’s mission to close the racial wealth gap — investing in Black-owned businesses that have the potential to become significant employers and economic drivers in their communities, said Brandon Calloway. “We exist to right the wrongs of the past and create the economic…

        They just wanted someone to notice: 10 years (and an exit) later, the first founders featured in Startland News have come 360

        By Tommy Felts | May 19, 2025

        Editor’s note: Startland News — officially launched May 4, 2015 — is marking its 10-year anniversary this spring. As part of this observance, the nonprofit newsroom is taking a look back at pivotal moments in its decade-long run, as well as impact along the way. Longtime editor-in-chief Tommy Felts caught up with Stuart Ludlow and David…

        Entrepreneur flexes her creative strengths into visibility for Kansas City’s lupus warriors

        By Tommy Felts | May 16, 2025

        Keisha Jordan refuses to be a wallflower in the fight against lupus, she said. The founder of Kansas City-based creative home design brand Complex Flavors, Jordan is working to raise awareness this month with her own story as an entrepreneur-turned-lupus warrior.  “We just want everybody to know that Kansas City has not forgotten about the…