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Zach Pettet Henry Bloch

Zach Pettet: Henry Bloch gave KC a legacy to believe in; now it’s our turn to make him proud

By Tommy Felts / April 30, 2019

Editor’s note: Zach Anderson Pettet is vice president of FinTech strategy at nbkc bank and managing director of Fountain City FinTech. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Henry Bloch made an immeasurable impact on Kansas City. The H&R Block co-founder’s April 23 death shook many of us; though we knew it was…

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Ben Hubbard and Bek Abdullayev, Super Dispatch COO

Super Dispatch hires experienced startup driver as COO to navigate its global growth map for 2019 and beyond

By Tommy Felts / April 30, 2019

From the fifth employee at Webmail.us to No. 50 for KC-based Super Dispatch, a startup leader with a long track record of building innovative operations has joined the executive team alongside founder and CEO Bek Abdullayev. “Super Dispatch is taking off,” said Ben Hubbard, the company’s new chief operating officer. “They have things figured out…

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Thee Outpost at Collective EX, Thou Mayest

Thou Mayest acquires Quay Coffee; three new locations to stretch footprint from River Market to Crossroads to Nelson-Atkins

By Tommy Felts / April 29, 2019

A Kansas City coffee brand just got bolder, announcing the acquisition of another coffee company and plans to open an entirely new concept in the Crossroads. Thou Mayest is now operating Quay Coffee — with its two locations in River Market and at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art — confirmed Bo Nelson, co-founder of Thou Mayest…

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Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge

$75K up for grabs in student pitch competition backed by Kansas Masons, K-State

By Tommy Felts / April 29, 2019

A cross-section of student entrepreneurs from across the state of Kansas are set to win big, Tuesday — if they can level with a room full of sharks at the K-State College of Business. Testing the power in their pitches, the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge is expected to award student innovators from 65 high schools and the…

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WeWork Corrigan Station, WeWork report

WeWork report links coworking space to success of startups, Techstars KC, KC Collective

By Tommy Felts / April 29, 2019

Nearly two years after it made its Kansas City debut, WeWork is delivering a measurable impact on the startup ecosystem, the company said Monday. A first-of-its-kind WeWork research project — the WeWork Global Impact Report — examined the scope of the Crossroads Arts District co-working site and its influence on entrepreneurs metro-wide. Takeaways from the…

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KC’s SaRA Health tapping cross-country, international resources for startup’s acceleration

By Tommy Felts / April 26, 2019

Techstars Kansas City graduate, SaRa Health is cutting through the noise of the San Diego startup scene, already shining bright among the healthtech mecca’s competitive entrepreneurial ecosystem, CEO Steven Coen said proudly. The metro-grown company recently joined the Nex Cubed Digital Healthcare accelerator — a semi-remote program that promises to drive commercial exposure and prepare founders…

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Elaina Brownlee, Plexpod

KCultivator Q&A: Elaina Brownlee finds supporting KC as easy as riding a bike (just don’t ask her to get behind the handlebars)

By Tommy Felts / April 26, 2019

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. Big-time investors don’t beat the collective “cheering squad” behind Kansas City’s entrepreneurial…

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Kritiq spring show

‘Starting to bloom’: Kritiq spring show debuts Sunday highlighting KC fashion scene by design

By Tommy Felts / April 25, 2019

Jo Hartley might be different from the typical designer featured this weekend at The Kritiq Fashion Show. She’s also the type of creator who organizers of the Kansas City runway experience want to brag about — the type they credit with helping grow the fashion show that’s been organized each fall the past four years.…

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Jay Walder, Virgin Hyperloop One

How could high-speed, cross-state travel boost Missouri? Hyperloop CEO has three words for KC

By Tommy Felts / April 25, 2019

Hyperloop One could be gliding down its interchangeable tracks within the next decade, CEO Jay Walder estimated. But is the mystical mass transit system any closer to finding its home, questioned an audience gathered Wednesday for the KC Tech Council CEO speaker series sponsored by RSM and hosted by WeWork.  “What if I told you…

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The Kyle and Heather Steppe family, KC Hemp Co.

CBD modern family: Today’s mom-and-pop shop is selling hemp from a downtown OP storefront

By Tommy Felts / April 24, 2019

With it’s storefront nestled in a mature, but re-emergent Overland Park neighborhood, walking through the door of 8124 Floyd St. shatters the misconceptions of curious customers, said Heather Steppe. “Its not [shady] … it doesn’t feel like a head shop,” Steppe, co-owner of KC Hemp Co., said of the almost bohemian vibe that radiates from…

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