All Stories

Reports: St. Louis startup scene surging while KC struggles to keep pace with past wins

By Tommy Felts / March 19, 2019

Founders hoping to launch a new startup or move into a fresh market might have better success in St. Louis, rather than Kansas City, according to Inc. magazine’s Surge Cities Index. Inc. placed St. Louis at No. 33 on its 50 Best Places in America for Starting a Business list. Kansas City was positioned at…

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Where Students Lead

Documentary spotlighting CAPS students set for sold-out premiere (Watch the trailer)

By Tommy Felts / March 18, 2019

There’s no syllabus for life, laments a teenage student in a soon-to-be released documentary detailing the impact of experiential learning on the new generation of youth about to enter the workforce. The documentary — “Where Students Lead” — heavily showcases student voice and the Center for Advanced Professional Studies, said Corey Mohn, executive director of…

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Even hip startups aren’t immune to social media mistakes; Avoid these 8 pitfalls

By Tommy Felts / March 18, 2019

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary on social media mistakes are the author’s alone. Dave Alexander is CEO of the nationally ranked, Overland Park-based digital marketing agency Social: Managed. Social media users don’t want to know more about your company — they want to know how your business can help them. But first,…

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Particle Space

Serial builder uses sensor tech to ‘see’ inside problem-prone properties with Particle Space

By Tommy Felts / March 15, 2019

Passion for building breathes life into a successful startup and the collective ecosystem, said David Biga. “[Builders] are a critical piece to our startup community,” said Biga, founder of Kansas City-based SaaS firm Particle Space. “If you don’t have people who care to build and offer things to those before you — then why come…

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Andrew Carlson and Julie Korona, Paloma Post

Duo designs Paloma Post greeting cards for more inclusive representation of couples

By Tommy Felts / March 15, 2019

As she stood flipping through an endless sea of birthday cards, Julie Korona couldn’t find a single one that would send the right message to her then-fiancé, Tyler, she recalled. “All of the cards that I was looking through either said ‘husband’ or were super generic,” said Korona, co-founder of Paloma Post — a newly…

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Megh Knappenberger, Megh Makes Art

Artist who won rare Jayhawk licensing deal — scoring a $150K payday — set to rebound

By Tommy Felts / March 14, 2019

Seemingly routine for many Kansas fans, crimson and blue are once again among the colors flooding the canvas of the 2019 NCAA tournament. But for artist Megh Knappenberger, the Jayhawks’ familiar palate has painted an entrepreneurial journey with as thrilling ups and downs as Big 12 basketball, she said. “It’s a pretty special and unique…

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Packet Kansas City

Cloud platform Packet opens KC office after $25M funding round in New York

By Tommy Felts / March 14, 2019

New York-based Packet’s newly established Kansas City office is expected to take full advantage of the area’s wealth of tech talent, said Ihab Tarazi. “There is actually a very good technical base in Kansas City — so here’s validation of that,” said Tarazi, chief technology officer at the cloud infrastructure firm committed to “building a…

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Virgin Hyperloop One

Fast track Missouri Hyperloop: Bipartisan support for 670-mph travel builds speed

By Tommy Felts / March 14, 2019

It isn’t just a pipe dream. The arrival of bipartisan state and federal support for high-speed, cross-region travel means the much-anticipated Missouri Hyperloop project continues to shoot forward, Ryan Weber said. “For businesses, this could be a huge opportunity to create a new industry, attract new businesses and leverage a much larger workforce,” Weber, KC…

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Skip by Digital Baron

Skip restaurant lines (and downloading another app) with text-based ordering

By Tommy Felts / March 13, 2019

In an increasingly automated world, American consumers are experiencing app exhaustion while continuing to need innovative solutions to address daily pain points like waiting in lines at their favorite restaurants, said Eric Tucker. “People are tired of downloading apps,” said Tucker, founder of KC-based Digital Baron, which  delivers Skip, an app-less mobile and pay platform.…

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Andre Davis, Built Interior Construction

Cleaner, more durable design: Future of construction is already Built, says Andrè Davis

By Tommy Felts / March 12, 2019

Built Interior Construction is “precision-cutting” cities of the future by injecting innovation into the slow-moving construction industry, said Andrè Davis. “The challenges in our industry is that construction methods are so archaic,” said Davis, business development executive at the Kansas City interior construction firm, founded in 2016 by Russ Branden, David Anderson, and Mark Brandmeyer.…

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