Minority-Led

First bite of Tyler Shane: This spicy new pairing with Westport favorite Café Corazón has cacao lovers going nuts

By Tommy Felts / February 5, 2022

‘I want people to sit down and really have a moment with their chocolate’ When Tyler Shane bites into a piece of chocolate, all of her senses come alive to fully indulge in the experience. “Food, for me, is almost like a religious experience,” she said. After spending seven years at Christopher Elbow Chocolates, the…

How one of KC’s earliest Esports leaders is leveling up inclusive gaming (and why it’s C-suite or bust for his next plays)

By Tommy Felts / February 4, 2022

Change comes through leadership, said AbdulRasheed Yahaya, announcing he’s acquired co-ownership of one of the largest Esports facilities in the nation — positioning him to take the controller and level up on his long-standing commitment to make the industry a fair game for all.  “To do this, I’ve always known I have to be at the…

PlaBook to compete for $1M in prizes at world’s largest pitch competition for edtech startups

By Tommy Felts / February 1, 2022

Fresh off its selection to Pipeline’s latest fellowship, a Kansas City edtech startup is now set to compete at The Elite 200 as a semifinalist in The GSV Cup — representing top pre-seed and  seed stage startups in digital learning across the “Pre-K to Gray” space. KC-based PlaBook is set to vie for $1 million…

Accelerator taps first 7 startups to help bring KC back from the edge of global health crisis

By Tommy Felts / January 28, 2022

Seven Kansas City tech startups have taken the leap to launch new technologies and startups in response to challenges posed by COVID-19 — and have received technical and financial assistance through Comeback KC Ventures to accelerate their efforts.  “These innovations were conceived after two years of the coronavirus pandemic revealed and ignited a need for…

Meet the new 2022 Pipeline fellows building ‘breakout’ startups and poised for rapid scale

By Tommy Felts / January 27, 2022

Persistence frequently pays off, said James West, reacting to his selection for Pipeline’s latest fellowship. The Lawrence biotech founder applied to join the elite entrepreneur network off and on since 2011 — and is now among 13 new fellows. “To finally get accepted is recognition of the work and progress I’ve made in the last few…