All Stories

KC team developing tool to get low-income entrepreneurs online (and it just got a $240K boost)

By Tommy Felts / September 17, 2022

A collaborative project to “bridge the gap” in Kansas City’s digital divide secured one of the 2022 Heartland Challenge grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. PCs for People Kansas City (formerly Connecting for Good), in partnership with The Usher Garage and No-Where Consultants, will receive $240,000 in funding to be used over two years…

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How this KC trucking platform is helping drivers achieve the ‘American Dream’ amid high industry demands, burnout 

By Tommy Felts / September 16, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of truck drivers in the American economy, said Jeff Dema; and Foxpoint is targeting its efforts to ensure that drivers succeed and stay in the demanding industry.  “Being a truck driver is a hard job. They’re gone 250 plus nights a year from their home. It requires lots of…

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Google’s $100K ‘stamp of approval’ for PlaBook reads like validation for KC-built edtech startup

By Tommy Felts / September 16, 2022

Kansas City expatriate PlaBook is set to receive $100,000 from Google’s initiative to provide funding to Black-led startups. But for Philip Hickman, it’s not just about the funding, he said. It’s also a credibility boost. “We were happy to receive an investment from Google,” the edtech startup founder said. “It’s a stamp of approval to…

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KC’s first Hispanic beer company craft-brews conversations beyond stereotypes

By Tommy Felts / September 14, 2022

Defining his own cultural identity has been a lifelong struggle for Damon Arredondo, the longtime brewer said. Coming from a mixed-cultural background, Arredondo often felt as if there was “a checklist” that decided whether or not he was able to identify with his heritage, he shared.  “Only recently in the last five year have I…

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Veteran entrepreneur finds security in pizza, opening new Rosati’s in south Overland Park

By Tommy Felts / September 13, 2022

Bob Ring sold his homegrown company of 25 years — then got a job delivering pizzas. All part of the recipe for the longtime Kansas City businessman who — despite his decades of experience — initially found banks hesitant to lend to him during the pandemic as he worked to open his own pizzeria in…

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Camel Culture tastes like home: How a Missouri dairy’s milk fills a void when everything else seems foreign

By Tommy Felts / September 13, 2022

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. MILLER,…

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Fund Me, KC: Her startup has outgrown its puppy phase; now’s your chance to feed its potential

By Tommy Felts / September 12, 2022

Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses or lend a helping hand to others. This is an opportunity for business owners and innovators — like Jonaie Johnson’s effort to publicly launch the highly-anticipated PlayTach smart dog crate attachment by Interplay — to share their…

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KC startup earns $100K from Google initiative, funding its ‘food as medicine’ tech solution for chronic illnesses, healthy food inequity

By Tommy Felts / September 9, 2022

Kansas City-based startup Free From Market will receive $100,000 in non-dilutive funding from Google as part of the tech giant’s initiative to support Black-led startups. Free From Market is a digital health platform that unites the key components needed for people with chronic conditions to make lasting dietary changes: personalized food selection, nutritional education and…

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2000 Vine: Brewed under pressure, KC’s first Black-owned brewery puts more than reputations on the vine

By Tommy Felts / September 9, 2022

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series from Startland News highlighting entrepreneurs, businesses, and creators leading revitalization and redevelopment efforts in and around the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. Click here to read additional stories from this series. A brewery under construction at 2000 Vine on Kansas City’s East Side comes from…

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2000 Vine: East Side office space amplifies ‘place’ as creative employees head back to work 

By Tommy Felts / September 9, 2022

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series from Startland News highlighting entrepreneurs, businesses, and creators leading revitalization and redevelopment efforts in and around the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. Click here to read additional stories from this series. As the founder and CEO of public relations firm Lillian James Creative, Aaron Fulk…

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