Corporate

Opening KC to black entrepreneurs begins with teaching startup lingo, tearing down walls

By Tommy Felts / November 19, 2018

Most entrepreneurs operate within silos, said Adrienne Haynes, noting that black-run startups face particular — though not insurmountable — challenges becoming embedded in the Kansas City startup scene. Seemingly approachable community events and coworking spaces aren’t always as open as organizers think, added Quest Moffat, founder of Project United Knowledge, joining Haynes and Donald Hawkins,…

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Saudi Arabian investment pushing KC’s WISE Power into Nigeria, Japan, Middle East markets

By Tommy Felts / November 7, 2018

The multimillion-dollar investment from a Saudi Arabian accelerator and capital firm is pushing WISE Power from the West Bottoms to global growth, said Kevin Williams. “The injection will allow us to expand quickly to get this technology out to the world, which was what our original intent was with WISE Power,” said Williams, founder of…

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New five-year government grant, matching funds will help KCSourceLink fill gaps, build inclusivity

By Tommy Felts / November 1, 2018

The payoff from a new five-year grant to KCSourceLink will most immediately be seen in a refreshed website with a more streamlined user experience for doers, makers, creators and entrepreneurs searching for help in taking the next — or first — step in building a business. [pullquote] Grassroots matching funds Organizations and individuals who have committed to…

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Toby Rush on emerging blockchain: Layers of trust slowly building behind the scenes

By Tommy Felts / November 1, 2018

Much like companies’ web pages in the mid-1990s, blockchain isn’t yet consumer-ready, said Toby Rush. [pullquote] Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Toby Rush is set to be honored Nov. 14 as Regional Entrepreneur of the Year by the Regnier Institute at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Henry W. Bloch School of Management. Click here to…

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H&R Block must reconnect with startup energy, innovation, CEO Jeff Jones says

By Tommy Felts / October 26, 2018

Jeff Jones’ journey to Kansas City — winding through hangouts with popstar Justin Timberlake, dinner with Oprah, and a stint driving one of the world’s most dominant sharing economy companies — has been transformative, the H&R Block CEO said. And if the homegrown corporate juggernaut he now leads is to meet its stretch potential, the…

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