Minority-Led

She’s one of the Chamber’s biggest ‘Superstar’ success stories; Why your company could be the next

By Tommy Felts / January 7, 2022

Editor’s note: The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is a non-financial partner of Startland News, which serves as the media partner for the Small Business Superstars program. The Small Business Superstar program did more than convert Jannae Gammage into a new Chamber member, she said; it exposed her to the power of opening doors…

New in KC: How Travis Kelce lured Pennsylvania startup inventXYZ (and its team) to Kansas City

By Tommy Felts / January 5, 2022

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. This series is sponsored by C2FO, a Leawood-based, global financial services company. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Nikil Ragav’s journey to…

Just funded: Digital Sandbox KC starts new year with six new startups on its roster

By Tommy Felts / January 4, 2022

Digital Sandbox KC’s latest round of startup funding reflects the emergence of more Kansas City-built, scalable tech in the new year, said Jill Meyer, announcing the fourth-quarter roster of companies bringing innovative ideas to life in the region. “These six companies demonstrate the creativity and diversity of our region’s technology founders and problem solvers,” said…

Topeka is building its own startup hub; a new group is pushing those left out from survival mode to creation

By Tommy Felts / December 29, 2021

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. The…

Shelia Johnson wants a daytime TV slot; Her ‘Gangsta Goodies’ brand already has the recipe

By Tommy Felts / December 22, 2021

Sacred is the kitchen of Shelia Johnson, an ambitious Kansas City matriarch-turned-food scene celebrity working to bring families and communities together one meal at a time.  “It has always been the heart of the home. The root of who we are culturally,” Johnson said, recalling her childhood and time spent with her mother in the…