Storytailor

Recent Articles by Storytailor

Kanbe’s Markets selected for $30K in marketing services from surging Crux KC team

January 26, 2022

Kanbe’s Markets is expected to harvest boosted visibility and functionality thanks to a newly announced donation of $30,000 in pro bono marketing services from one of Kansas City’s fastest-growing agencies. Crux KC selected the nonprofit for its annual “Crux for a Cause” initiative, which is expected to provide an entire year of services from a…

LaunchKC opens applications for new Social Venture Studio; five slots expected for cohort focused on KC

January 26, 2022

Entrepreneurs hoping to provide both social impact and return on investment are encouraged to apply for the inaugural cohort of LaunchKC’s Social Venture Studio — an effort focused on creating sustainable business models to tackle social, racial, or environmental issues. Click here to apply through March 30. The studio is seeking a diverse cohort of leaders,…

Tees to NFTs: Why the designer behind one of KC’s most iconic young brands is testing the waters of crypto

January 26, 2022

Blockchain’s rise is sending a wave of change crashing over far-ranging industries — and a Kansas City-based design and branding studio is ready to hang ten, its founder said. “I saw it as an emerging market of opportunity,” Ocean and Sea’s Brendan O’Shaughnessy told Startland News, detailing the popular design firm and clothing brand’s nose dive…

Yelp for DEI: New tech gives public a tool to share discrimination concerns in real-time, empowers companies to monitor, improve

January 25, 2022

Aishah Augusta-Parham’s tech platform has a goal rooted in impact: help business owners become more mindful of diversity, equity, inclusion efforts in their day-to-day operations — better ensuring their customers do business with companies and brands that embody shared values.  “We are the Yelp of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Augusta-Parham said, detailing the mission behind…

Dough-re-mi: Choir teacher’s pop-up pie hustle bakes her second verse from scratch

January 24, 2022

On any given weekday, Ann Lewis Marzette can be found in the classroom, teaching and training students in the Kearney Middle School choir.  But when the clock strikes 3 p.m., she trades sheet music and scales for mixing bowls and measuring cups, embracing a side hustle that has her singing dough-re-mi — while customers serenade…

Return on investment: Why the co-founder of tech giant Dropbox just donated $500K to Blue Valley schools

January 21, 2022

Blue Valley schools, teachers, and students are expected to benefit greatly from a newly announced fund launched by the homegrown Johnson County tech entrepreneur who later co-founded the cloud storage giant Dropbox. Arash Ferdowsi, a 2004 graduate of Blue Valley Northwest High School, has put up $500,000 to launch the Arash Ferdowsi Fund, which benefits…

Ronawk accelerates its growth with exec hires, creation of expansive ‘Bio-Block Universe’

January 21, 2022

Synergy and chemistry are just as important as expertise when hiring strategic, high-level positions within a startup, said A.J. Mellott. “Ronawk has gone from this startup with its organized chaos, to having structured pathways that have emerged because we are better informed. That in itself has been really exciting and stimulating. We are more of…

WATCH: Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2022

January 20, 2022

   This broadcast features Startland News reporters in conversation with the founders who lead the Startups to Watch companies showcased in the publication’s 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2022 list and explore ways in which they’re disrupting industries in Kansas City and beyond. Use #KCSTW22 to interact with other viewers on social media. Click…

A radical new chapter: Why Danny Caine gave up 49 percent of his business to form an employee ownership collective

January 20, 2022

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. LAWRENCE…

Voltage charges ahead with $6M seed round in quest to ‘fast-track a Bitcoin standard’

January 20, 2022

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. WICHITA…