All Stories

PopChef, Startup Weekend KC

Cooking class curator wins Google-backed Startup Weekend competition

By Tommy Felts / March 27, 2018

Nine teams made it through Startup Weekend, but only one team earned the dough: PopChef, which cooked up a platform to sign up for interactive kitchen classes with local chefs. PopChef co-founders Zack Kern and Ruby Montoya were ecstatic to win the competition, Kern said. In addition to receiving an hour of consulting with Lesa…

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Ginsburg’s Podcast Preview

Ginsburg’s Podcast Preview: Business of Story adds power to purpose

By Tommy Felts / March 26, 2018

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. If you’re new to either podcasts or this occasional column, click here for background information. We preview specific podcasts to reveal their topics, formats and lessons from listening. Featured Podcast If you manage a business or organization, you surely have a story to…

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Comfy Cup Kyler Russell

Preteen inventor’s kid-friendly Comfy Cup athletic gear ready to leave the dugout, family says

By Tommy Felts / March 26, 2018

A preteen baseball player who helped develop a more comfortable athletic cup for young athletes wants to scale the business to include a deeper product line and sizes for adults. Lenexa native Kyler Russell, who turned 12 Thursday, invented Comfy Cup as a Little League player. He was required to wear an athletic cup, even…

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Chase McAnulty, Charlie Hustle

Charlie Hustle returning to founder’s vintage Jayhawk roots with Lawrence shop

By Tommy Felts / March 24, 2018

A new retail space in Lawrence will be a homecoming of sorts for Chase McAnulty — taking Charlie Hustle back to the college city where he first wove his passion for vintage threads into a business. “It’s huge for me personally because it’s kind of come full circle,” the founder, owner and CEO said. Overlooking…

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Neighbrohood

The Neighbrohood aims to build an entrepreneur network for KC men, leader says

By Tommy Felts / March 23, 2018

Sunday’s debut public event from The Neighbrohood is about generating fellowship and conversation among young professionals, entrepreneurs and any other men working to make Kansas City thrive, Patrick Green said. “Our vision in that is to see Neighbrohood as a place for brotherhood, and our mission is to be change agents that strengthen men through…

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UMKC entrepreneur competition ups prize money to $75K

By Tommy Felts / March 23, 2018

For the second consecutive year, the University of Missouri-Kansas City has boosted prize money for its premier entrepreneurial competition. Eligible student teams will now vie for $75,000 in total awards through the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge Competition and new Blue KC Healthcare Innovation Prize. “The Regnier Venture Creation Challenge has become one of the signature…

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Tammy Buckner, Techquity Digital, photographed by Tiffany Cody, Aisha Bullock of Smash Glam

April Boyd-Noronha: Q&A with Tammy Buckner, a woman rising In STEM

By Tommy Felts / March 23, 2018

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. In honor of Women’s History Month, I’m featuring a fierce woman on the rise in STEM, who also happens to be a woman of color. Tammy Buckner is the founder and chief technology strategist at Techquity Digital, a tech firm based in Kansas…

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anti-gun violence posters

KC designers: Send us your anti-gun violence messages, we’ll make the protest signs

By Tommy Felts / March 22, 2018

Young people marching Saturday as part of nationwide anti-gun violence demonstrations deserve for their messages to be seen and heard, said Spencer Branham. Solid, impactful design will help, he added. Members of AIGA KC, a professional organization for Kansas City graphic designers, are now accepting submissions ahead of Saturday’s March For Our Lives events, said…

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KC Shave Company

KC Shave Company cuts its own niche with blades of disruption

By Tommy Felts / March 22, 2018

A well-groomed man needn’t choose merely between cheap, breakable, throwaway razor blades and high-end, pricey shaving kits, said Mike Knopke, co-founder of KC Shave Company. On their way to building “a shaving empire,” Knopke and co-founder Joe Henderson hope to fill the gap amid a landscape of disposable and over-priced options, they said. A current…

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JUMP GEO

Fund Me, KC: JUMP GEO uses whole-body movement to teach kids geography

By Tommy Felts / March 22, 2018

Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its ‘Fund Me, KC’ feature to highlight area entrepreneurial efforts to accelerate businesses or projects. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by contacting news@startlandnews.com. Today’s featured campaign from Kansas City-based JUMP GEO spotlights a product to teach young people (and adults) about…

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