All Stories

More than 17K people expected for the biggest KC Maker Faire yet

By Tommy Felts / June 9, 2017

For children, hardly a day goes by without the experience of arts, crafts, show and tell, building blocks or tinkering with toys. But in Kansas City, that young-at-heart spirit of creativity doesn’t have to be forgotten. In fact, it’s rekindled each year in a public outpouring at Union Station. On June 24 and 25, thousands…

Read More >

Meet the five area startups partnering with KCMO to drive innovation

By Tommy Felts / June 8, 2017

A quintet of startup firms are working with the City of Kansas City, Mo. as part of its Innovation Partnership Program. Launched in 2015, IPP pairs area startups with city departments to not only identify new efficiencies but also offer the firm a chance to earn business with the city. After being designated a department…

Read More >

KC entrepreneurial leader Wullschleger becomes new WeWork director

By Tommy Felts / June 8, 2017

Before its doors even open, WeWork is making significant inroads to the area entrepreneur community. The international coworking giant — which announced plans to create a 40,000-square-foot space in Kansas City in March — has hired Erik Wullschleger to become its community director. Most recently the director of LiveKC and previously general manager of the…

Read More >

Wide Ruled: The future of Kansas schools with education commissioner Randy Watson

By Tommy Felts / June 7, 2017

Editor’s note: In partnership with the Wide Ruled podcast hosted by Brainroot Light and Sound, Startland News hopes to offer its audience more avenues to learn about innovators in Kansas City. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Wide Ruled is a Kansas City-based podcast focused on equality in education. Each episode showcases a…

Read More >

ScaleUP! KC welcomes 16 new entrepreneurs to the program

By Tommy Felts / June 7, 2017

On Wednesday ScaleUP! KC welcomed 16 new entrepreneurs into its incubator program’s sixth cohort. To qualify, ScaleUP! companies must be in business for at least two years, generate annual sales of between $150,000 and $750,000 and have the potential to reach to $1 million in sales. Startups from the latest cohort represent industries such as…

Read More >

KC Digital Drive summits aim to catalyze engagement with tech, innovation

By Tommy Felts / June 7, 2017

Area non-profit, government and tech leaders are planning to help broaden community involvement in the Kansas City metro’s innovation ecosystem. Organized by KC Digital Drive, the Gigabit City Summit: Local Edition — set for June 16 at Plexpod Westport Commons — will offer an immersive look into high-profile initiatives such as the Smart City effort and…

Read More >

KC startups join Techstars, Amazon and Kickstarter to support net neutrality

By Tommy Felts / June 6, 2017

Amazon, Kickstarter, Etsy, Mozilla and other tech giants are planning a “day of action” on July 12 to oppose efforts to undo net neutrality regulations by Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai. As national momentum grows, the fight for a free and open Internet already has garnered local support.  More than a dozen Kansas City-area…

Read More >

Flyover Capital leads $1.5M round in Illinois startup

By Tommy Felts / June 6, 2017

Overland Park-based venture capital firm Flyover Capital has led a $1.5 million Series A round in an Illinois-based tech firm. Flyover led the investment round — which included Serra Ventures and other private investors — in Inprentus Precision Optics, which designs and manufactures X-ray and EUV diffraction gratings for “synchrotron radiation” facilities. The technology is used…

Read More >

Faster-than-expected visa process helps BLITAB relocate from Austria to KC

By Tommy Felts / June 6, 2017

Eight months after the Austria-based firm BLITAB won a LaunchKC grant, its co-founders have finally settled into their new home of Kansas City, Mo. BLITAB — a startup that developed the world’s first tablet for blind people — was the only internationally-based firm to win a $50,000 LaunchKC grant in September. But before co-founders Kristina Tsvetanova and Slavi…

Read More >

KCultivator Q&A: Adrienne Haynes on microwave etiquette, Madam C.J. Walker, Beyonce

By Tommy Felts / June 5, 2017

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a new, lighthearted profile series we’re kicking off to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Check out our other features on Robert Manigold, Susan Wally and Donald Carter. Adrienne Haynes caught an entrepreneurial bug as a teenager. With a passion for helping young people, she aspired to…

Read More >
1MC-Digital-Attend-2460x318px-v1
Founders-Club-Banner-Ad-2

Join Founder's Club – Support Our Mission

Enjoy access to our email newsletter, members only Slack community, exclusive events and other member perks.