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Community Builders to Watch: Jeff Shafer merges hip hop, education equity to boost message of greatness

By Tommy Felts / June 1, 2023

Editor’s note: Startland News is showcasing five Kansas City changemakers from five local organizations through its third annual Community Builders to Watch series. The following highlights one of the 2023 honorees, selected from more than 100 initial nominees. Click here to view the full list of Community Builders to Watch — presented by Cyderes. Check…

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Community Builders to Watch: Maria Flynn engineers a future where KC’s digital health legacy rivals its football

By Tommy Felts / June 1, 2023

Editor’s note: Startland News is showcasing five Kansas City changemakers from five local organizations through its third annual Community Builders to Watch series. The following highlights one of the 2023 honorees, selected from more than 100 initial nominees. Click here to view the full list of Community Builders to Watch — presented by Cyderes. Check…

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Community Builders to Watch: Jared Horman gives KC’s blank canvases context, his career new meaning

By Tommy Felts / June 1, 2023

Editor’s note: Startland News is showcasing five Kansas City changemakers from five local organizations through its third annual Community Builders to Watch series. The following highlights one of the 2023 honorees, selected from more than 100 initial nominees. Click here to view the full list of Community Builders to Watch — presented by Cyderes. Check…

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Businesses welcome KC neighbors to taste, tour flavors of the Northeast with one-day event

By Tommy Felts / May 31, 2023

Kansas Citians can travel the world without leaving the city’s Northeast, said Bobbi Baker, detailing plans for Friday’s Taste & Tour event that showcases flavors from across the globe. “With this particular tour, you never have to leave [Independence] Avenue,” said Baker, president and CEO of the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. The Taste…

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Esports startup with KC co-founder announces $3M in seed funding, targets Web3 gaming

By Tommy Felts / May 31, 2023

An early funding round is expected to help a new professional esports organization expand the creator economy alongside its own footprint, said Nate Schanker, announcing a $3 million seed round for Boston-based M80, a startup coded with Kansas City talent. “We are building something special that the esports industry has never seen before and we…

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His KC shirts earned a walk-on ‘Ted Lasso’ role; now this OP teacher’s side hustle is off the sidelines 

By Tommy Felts / May 31, 2023

The series finale of “Ted Lasso” this week doesn’t mean end credits for a Kansas City teacher whose T-shirt side hustle scored big throughout the show’s run — thanks to a notable assist from his childhood friend Jason Sudeikis who began wearing his designs in early episodes. Brendan Curran, founder of the apparel company Three…

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Meet the cohort: Founder scaling Startup Weekend’s winning idea through Columbia venture fund, studio

By Tommy Felts / May 30, 2023

COLUMBIA, Missouri — Winning Missouri Startup Weekend this spring put Chrystal Graves one step closer to revolutionizing the beauty industry, she shared, noting the victory helped secure her spot in the Scale venture fund and studio. “I have been passionate about helping salons be profitable and inclusive for a long time, but I thought building…

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Startup Crawl is back June 9: Get your passport to KC bands, businesses, beverages

By Tommy Felts / May 30, 2023

More than 50 startups and a quartet of local bands and performers will headline the June 9 return of Startup Crawl — and it’s a pretty sweet symphony, teased event organizers.  “It’s been almost four years since we’ve been able to host our community in this way,” said Austin Barnes, executive editor of Startland News and…

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They could’ve cracked into any industry; Why this dynamic team paired its talents with snacks

By Tommy Felts / May 30, 2023

A local foodie’s quest to recreate her favorite discontinued cracker led a trio of longtime friends to build their own company, serving up specialty appetizer kits that customers are savoring in Kansas City and beyond. Crackerology produces shelf-stable, gourmet appetizer and dessert kits featuring made-from-scratch crackers and cookies that can be assembled in minutes. “Yes,…

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‘I Am’ the domino effect: This changemaker wants to show youth impacted by redlining another reality

By Tommy Felts / May 26, 2023

When Elijah Dormeus moved to Kansas City in 2019, he brought with him a nonprofit that provides mentorship and leadership training to students in underserved communities, with the end goal of empowering them to achieve their dreams. “The I Am Foundation really came from leading, encouraging, and motivating students to see themselves greater than their…

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