Guest Authors

Tyler Enders, Made in KC

Open letter to KC landlords: Face the COVID-19 music; If not for a pandemic, then what?

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Tyler Enders is co-founder of Made in KC, a brick-and-mortar and online retailer of locally made goods with locations downtown, in the Crossroads Arts District, on the Country Club Plaza, and across the metro. Made in KC is a non-financial partner of Startland News. Enders’…

It isn’t just free money: PPP loan funds come with strings attached

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the authors’ alone. Kirstin P. Salzman, Jessica Zeratsky and Kyle Gilster are partners at Husch Blackwell. This op-ed is sponsored by the Husch Blackwell law firm, which has offices in Kansas City and across the nation, and intended to provide additional insight into the Pacheck Protection Program (PPP) and its extension this week….

Scenes of Kansas City, April 24, 2020

The Kansas City you know is dying; Open letter to banks, donor-advised funds, and fellow Kansas Citians

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Adam Arredondo is CEO of STARTLAND — formerly the Kansas City Startup Foundation — the parent organization of Startland News and the talent programs MECA Challenge, MECA Methods, and Back2KC. This opinion piece was produced independently of Startland News with light editing. No…

Blockchain Basics: Emerging tech is a silver bullet for some, but not a universal solution

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Kenyon Briggs is an attorney at Husch Blackwell in Kansas City. Mindi Giftos and Bob Bowman are partners at Husch Blackwell and contributed to this op-ed, part of a limited series on blockchain sponsored by Husch Blackwell. As blockchain grows in popularity, people continue to…

How to weather the COVID-19 storm: Lessons from a 2008 startup survivor

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Steve Roatch is CEO of Leawood-based 27Global, a custom software development company. While the specifics of this coronavirus pandemic are unique, we’ve seen recessions, depressions, national emergencies, wars and even pandemics before. The good news is that in each of these events, when…