Minority-Led

Tea shop on Troost finds its flavor at the intersection of herbal serenity, cultural activism

By Tommy Felts / July 15, 2020

Kansas City’s air is thick with revolution and restoration, contemplated Nika Cotton.  “In the social and cultural climate, it’s really a time that people are rising up. The systems are changing. We’re talking about the abolition of police departments, the abolition of the industrial prison system — really exciting things,” Cotton said amid a flurry of…

Boddle’s new $350K investment comes with a catch: KC startup relocating to Tulsa

By Tommy Felts / July 9, 2020

Pre-seed funding from Tulsa-based Atento Capital is expected to help accelerate Boddle’s gamified edtech platform amid an ongoing pandemic — but the infusion means the Kansas City startup will move south to work more closely with its new investor. “Our team is looking forward to the growth and impact that this investment will allow us…

Repairing weapons to crocheting dolls: Soldier deploys maker skills to craft Daya & Me

By Tommy Felts / July 9, 2020

Armed with a crochet hook — one more tool than the standard-issue weapons cache of her fellow soldiers — Daya Johnson was in a battle against time. Typically less than nine months. “In the middle of Kuwait, I had a huge tough box that was full of yarn that I had my sister send me…

Wesley Hamilton withdraws from partners he says didn’t value BLM, planning standalone gym for adaptive athletes  

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2020

Withdrawing from professional partnerships that don’t align with his values — specifically the Black Lives Matter movement — will be a struggle, Wesley Hamilton admitted, but adaptive athletes already know the heavy lift of overcoming challenges in life. “I need to make sure that I am not only bringing value to my community, but that…

KingFit acquisition fuels expansion plans in Mexico, focuses bilingual health tech startup

By Tommy Felts / June 23, 2020

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. WICHITA…