Minority-Led

Guadalupe Centers gala, ofrenda pass from physical to virtual world; pandemic could reshape cultural traditions

By Tommy Felts / October 22, 2020

It’s not a normal year, Alyx Bartrom said, acknowledging the obvious and embracing opportunities to innovate a more-than-30-year-old community tradition.  “You have to either adapt or you get left behind,” Bartrom, director of fund development and marketing for Guadalupe Centers, said of the century-old non-profit and social service agency’s upcoming Blanco y Negro Awards Gala…

Google’s $100K cash prize keeps Healthy Hip Hop dancing toward ‘Tik Tok for kids’ status

By Tommy Felts / October 16, 2020

With a new cash infusion from the Google Black Founders Fund, Roy Scott said Healthy Hip Hop is ready to perfect the next generation of its youth entertainment and education tech, strengthen the company’s sales and marketing efforts and hire a C-suite level employee.  “We found our niche in the tech space, and it’s how…

KingFit prescription for growth: DiabetesCare startup becomes a pandemic must-have

By Tommy Felts / October 12, 2020

WICHITA — A new partnership with a medical giant is adding even more fuel to a momentous 2020 for Kansas-grown KingFit, said Miguel Johns.  The startup has entered an agreement with BioTel Care, the diabetes division of BioTelemetry — a $2 billion publicly-traded company, that aims to improve health outcomes through innovation.  “This partnership opens doors…

Masked by fashion: COVID pivot pushes brand to local production, beyond mere ‘talk’ on social media

By Tommy Felts / October 8, 2020

Editor’s note: The following is the second in a series of stories about Kansas City fashion companies putting their own creative spin on the often-utilitarian face mask. Blessings are all around, Anita Koul said, sifting through memories of a year that’s been so far defined by wild hardships and tragic losses.  “We have to take…

NEER heads to the Pacific (virtually) for $200K, climate change solutions accelerator

By Tommy Felts / October 6, 2020

An intensive, 10-month application process is paying off for NEER, as the Kansas City water management startup says aloha to a Hawaii-based accelerator and a significant funding infusion. Joining the ninth cohort of Elemental Excelerator in Honolulu is a boon for NEER, having just completed the gener8tor program in Wisconsin, said Elango Thevar, founder and…