Posts by Tommy Felts
Worker wearables startup Kenzen earns $1M capital injection from Fenaroli-led Overland Park investor
Kansas City-worn Kenzen is rolling into 2021 with new funding and partnerships pushing the wearables startup into overdrive. The company announced a $1 million injection of funding from Overland Park-based Examinetics — a portfolio company of New York-based Freedom 3 Capital — Wednesday. “The Kenzen solution is gaining momentum. This alliance with Examinetics will broaden the team…
Read MoreA maker reality TV series is transforming Travis Kelce’s gift to KC into a ‘fan experience’ on Troost
While the Kansas City Chiefs run it back on the field — the impact of superstar tight end Travis Kelce continues to be felt through a new partnership with Make48. Kelce’s ongoing work with Operation Breakthrough will see the non-profit realize it’s Ignition Lab later this year, but it won’t open its doors without some…
Read MoreTasty, healthy treats in a microwaveable cup: Omega Power Creamer founders launch Upside Down Bakery
Guilty pleasure treats — like brownies, muffins and pancakes — no longer require “guilt” as an ingredient, Greg Blome said. “Upside Down Bakery is flipping baking on its head,” said Blome, who co-founded Upside Down Bakery with Nick Wehrle. “As in, we are making traditional high-sugar, high-carb products that taste good, and taking away the…
Read MoreEffort to grow startup capital for Black-owned businesses: Our work in KC has just begun
A nonprofit that’s raised more than a quarter million dollars in eight months to provide grants to Black small business owners says a diverse range of Kansas City entrepreneurs already has asked for help — and their needs go beyond the obvious. “Normally when people think of Black-owned businesses here in Kansas City, most immediately think…
Read MoreActress-entrepreneur finds sweet inspiration, resiliency in life’s unexpected ingredients
From the stage to the studio to a sweets shop on Main Street, the creative talents of Shawna Peña-Downing have never let her down, she said, crediting her resiliency to a STEAM-focused education. “I finally got a job after being laid off in June,” Peña-Downing, multiplatform artist, teacher, and entrepreneur, said of her reality amid…
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