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Jill Bertelsen, Crib Coaching, pitches in May at the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge; photo courtesy of the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Henry W. Bloch School of Management and the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Leanlab launches edtech certification with focus on accountability to classrooms

By Tommy Felts / May 12, 2022

A new product certification from Leanlab Education means increased transparency for edtech companies — as well as added credibility for their work within schools.  “We want to give teachers and school administrators a quick way to understand if an edtech product reflects the insights of educators, students, and parents — the true end users in education — and…

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David Dastmalchian, "Count Crowley"

Actor David Dastmalchian fought his own demons; now the KC native is sending ’80s-inspired monsters to you

By Tommy Felts / May 11, 2022

Growing up in Kansas City, David Dastmalchian was enamored with his hometown’s most shadowy corners: its fabled haunted houses, the shelves of Clint’s Comics, “Crematia Mortem’s Friday” on local TV, and even his Overland Park neighborhood’s mystical-seeming creeks and forests.  Each of these childhood haunts planted a seed for the Hollywood actor’s latest project —…

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Eliot Arnold, MoodSpark

MoodSpark buys defunct startup’s IP, minds focused on disrupting elderly veterans’ depression 

By Tommy Felts / May 11, 2022

A slew of new patents and tools are now in the hands of a KCK-rooted startup that aims to protect aging military veterans that suffer from loneliness, anxiety and depression.  MoodSpark has acquired assets previously held by California-based Dthera Sciences — an early leader of the digital therapeutics space, known for its innovative quality of life…

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Kisha Bausby, JE Dunn

Built to last, bought with intention: How JE Dunn set supplier diversity as a cornerstone

By Tommy Felts / May 10, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story was sponsored by KC Rising, a regional initiative to help Kansas City grow faster and more intentionally, as part of a campaign to promote its CEO-to-CEO Challenge on supplier diversity.  Approaching supplier diversity for the long haul means defining the work — without limiting it, said Jason Banks, describing how Kansas City-based construction icon JE…

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Desmond Carr, Alysha Daicy and Tim McCoy, Rally Gin, Decoy Beverage Co.

Rally Gin pours into KC as childhood friends mix spirit of resilience with Black-owned, woman-owned brand

By Tommy Felts / May 10, 2022

After launching in the Los Angeles market, Rally Gin is coming home — distilling a pandemic dream into Kansas City reality.  “We have so much pride in being Kansas City natives and are thrilled to share Rally Gin with the town,” said Alysha Daicy, co-founder.  A launch event honoring Rally’s expansion into the Midwest is planned…

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Hack Midwest

Hack Midwest set for July return — challenging coders to build game-changing apps in 24 hours

By Tommy Felts / May 10, 2022

After a four year hiatus, Kansas City’s largest coding competition is back, bringing with it more than 300 of the region’s most talented software engineers — set to battle it out in July for prizes and honors.  “Adding to Kansas City’s momentum as a leading tech hub, Hack Midwest gives passionate software engineers the opportunity to…

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Jaclyn Heupel, Heavy Head; photo by Rhodana Snider

It’s wheels up for KC flight attendant-turned headwear designer: Heavy Head takes flight

By Tommy Felts / May 7, 2022

Jaclyn Heupel had a gut feeling early in the pandemic that she would eventually get furloughed from her job as a flight attendant with American Airlines. Brainstorming ideas for a side gig to help her pass the time led Heupel to a sewing machine and fabric. Watching YouTube videos brought experimentation with materials. She settled…

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Maxfield Kaniger and Ali Curbow, Kanbe’s Markets

Chefs transform ‘ugly’ produce into beautiful dinners: How Kanbe’s Markets is taking food waste off the menu

By Tommy Felts / May 6, 2022

From lumpy apples to a spotty potato, foods with cosmetic flaws are still edible and nutritionally dense, said Ali Curbow.  “People turn away these types of produce because it is considered ‘ugly’ — but we’re hoping to showcase that these ugly produce can be made into something beautiful,” said Curbow, marketing manager at Kanbe’s Markets,…

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Shrimp po'boy at KC Cajun

Gator, shrimp po’boys made to order, but Chef Esra has more than sandwiches plated for KC’s East Side

By Tommy Felts / May 6, 2022

Opening a restaurant is just one phase of Esra England’s vision for Kansas City’s East Side. “I’m looking at a restaurant as an anchor point. Once you have a restaurant in the area, the community will be able to do different things like host meetings or classes — and hopefully, other businesses will start to…

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Brian King, Realto

KC investors power $4.5M round for OP startup poised to ‘unlock billions’ for its customers

By Tommy Felts / May 5, 2022

Overland Park-based Realto has closed a $4.5 million funding round — thanks in large part to the backing of Kansas City-based investors.  “We’re excited to welcome these important investors as we continue to expand our robust trading capabilities across the universe of alternative products,” Brian King, co-founder and CEO, said in announcement of the funding round which…

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