Education

MOSourceLink adds startup founder as new ‘Network Convener’ to rally ESOs, entrepreneurs

By Tommy Felts / August 27, 2025

A newly-created role is expected to help strengthen connections between entrepreneur support organizations across the state and promote the wealth of resources available to Missouri’s entrepreneurs. Adam Larson — founder of Decimal Projects, CEO of Catnip Budz Gourmet Catnip, and former program coordinator at Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UMKC — moves to…

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This Blue Valley teen uses AI to research cancer; Trump’s budget cuts could halt his work

By Tommy Felts / July 2, 2025

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. An Overland Park high schooler traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for cancer research funding after the Trump administration proposed slashing…

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Big ideas for young people: How Equal Minded Café crowdfunded its coffee shop youth incubator’s next blend

By Tommy Felts / June 25, 2025

Dontavious Young is betting on the next generation. As founder of Equal Minded Café and the Big Ideas Foundation, Young is creating space for high school students to build businesses, find purpose, and take ownership of their futures. “I want to be someone who kids remember their whole life,” Young said. “Almost everyone has an…

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Kauffman awards $5.8M funding pipeline to research how to close wealth gaps in KC, beyond

By Tommy Felts / June 18, 2025

Eight newly announced research grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation are expected to help catalyze research-based efforts aimed at growing equitable economic mobility in Kansas City, regionally, and nationally. More than $5.8 million in research funding will be disbursed over the next three years through this first round of grantmaking through Kauffman’s new research…

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Topeka’s new community-built innovation incubator turns soil; leaders eager to show the world what grows

By Tommy Felts / June 7, 2025

TOPEKA — It’s not just about breaking new ground in the state’s capital, said Neal Spencer; the Link Innovation Labs project’s global reach serves as “a foundation for growth, impact, and the future of our great city.” “It’ll be a hub for ideas, connection and opportunity — a place where startups launch, collaborators spark, and…

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