All Stories

KC’s year-old terminal just won four ‘Best Of’ industry awards; these businesses helped land the honors

By Tommy Felts / April 9, 2024

The retail and restaurant mix featured within the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport is being lauded by industry insiders who hail the experience curated by Vantage Airport Group as one of the best of its kind in North America. In the terminal’s first year of operation, its offerings earned four honors at AXN’s…

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KU Innovation Park hires former Tech Venture Studio leader to support its entrepreneurs

By Tommy Felts / April 9, 2024

LAWRENCE, Kansas — An entrepreneurial support expert who made his entry into the Kansas City startup ecosystem through the UMKC Innovation Center, Chris Rehkamp is now building founder relationships at a business incubator in Kansas. KU Innovation Park today announced Rehkamp’s new role as director of business services at the nonprofit economic development organization’s sprawling…

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KCRise Fund-backed startup secures $20M Series C, fueling its commitment to KC

By Tommy Felts / April 9, 2024

A Texas-based caregiver support platform’s latest funding round is expected accelerate the company’s growth and expand its support solutions, said CEO Michael Walsh, noting the startup continues to deepen ties to Kansas City. Cariloop today announced the close of its Series C funding round, raising $20 million. The investment was led by ABS Capital with…

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Dude Perfect flips from YouTube to IRL with $100M investment from Kansas firm

By Tommy Felts / April 9, 2024

WICHITA, Kansas — With more than 16 billion views on their YouTube channel, 60 million subscribers, and major brand deals already established, the team behind the family-friendly sports and entertainment group Dude Perfect is poised for even greater impact with fans, said Jason Illian. Highmount Capital today announced a strategic partnership with Dude Perfect —…

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Curated to the core: How a chaplain-turned-entrepreneur is elevating streetwear to boost KC nonprofits

By Tommy Felts / April 5, 2024

In a world of loud statement tees, sometimes the most impactful messages are quietly sewn into the tag, said Makenzy Jean, whose Kansas City-based apparel company partners with local nonprofits on brand-merging designs that give back to their community causes. “Streetwear is from the streets,” said Jean, founder of Associated Humanity and a former chaplain.…

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After east side restaurant closes, KC Cajun drives back to its food truck roots, cooking up a new market

By Tommy Felts / April 5, 2024

Esra England is hitting the streets again, he shared. The head chef and founder of KC Cajun recently closed his fixed location on the east side, and is returning to the food truck and catering strategy that gave him his start. “It was a good learning experience,” England explained. “But with the overhead of trying…

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Bloch faculty duo earn $200K grant toward effort to disrupt social media echo chambers

By Tommy Felts / April 5, 2024

Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Click here to read the original story. In the digital realm where algorithms reign supreme, Alex Krause Matlack and Bryan C. Boots from the UMKC Henry W. Bloch School of Management aim to create a tool that disrupts the social media landscape,…

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Some 18th & Vine leaders say losing downtown stadium could have ‘a tremendously negative impact’

By Tommy Felts / April 5, 2024

Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. Businesses were split on their reaction to the vote on April 2 that rejected the extension of a 3/8th-cent sales tax…

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Build a bigger bandwagon for women entrepreneurs, founders say; an isolated journey is too lonely 

By Tommy Felts / April 4, 2024

Representation of women in entrepreneurship is critically important, Vanessa Jupe told a crowd gathered this week at Union Station, emphasizing the power of exposure and leading by example to create a stronger, more diverse ecosystem. “If we don’t start businesses, then other women aren’t going to see that as a possibility,” said the founder and…

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Designed with minimal parking, KC Current wants you to carpool to team’s next home match

By Tommy Felts / April 4, 2024

A just-announced tech tool aims to help KC Current fans make sustainable and affordable transportation an easier choice on matchday as the hometown team continues a string of development wins at its new riverfront stadium. Current Carpool — a new feature from the free WAY TO GO trip planning and carpool matching app — connects…

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