Minority-Led

Health scare forced KC’s colorful wax guru to get serious: ‘This is Crumble growing up with me’

By Tommy Felts / February 26, 2019

Brandon Love is keeping his iconic, brightly-colored hair, but melting away distractions that could be holding back his already wildly successful, but evolving lifestyle brand, Crumble Co., he said. The first to go: Some of the eye-catching candle and wax product names that first caught customers’ attention because of their tongue-in-cheek innuendos and four-letter words,…

KCultivator Q&A: Nia Richardson an architect of startup support ‘born, made and raised on Prospect’

By Tommy Felts / February 15, 2019

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Experience the world, engage with community, and execute ideas to get ahead — not only in life, but in building a legacy that stands the test of time, said Nia Richardson. A product of Kansas City Public…

Kauffman launching Capital Access Lab investment pipeline for underserved entrepreneurs

By Tommy Felts / February 13, 2019

Every new business should have a fighting chance at success — regardless of the entrepreneur’s background, said Victor Hwang, announcing a new Capital Access Lab to address opportunity gaps in Kansas City and across the U.S. “It is up to us to collectively break down systematic barriers to entry that adversely impact people of color,…

Made in Kansas City named TeamKC MVP for celebrating KC pride, promoting talent

By Tommy Felts / February 8, 2019

With its sprawling footprint and focus on local creatives, Made in Kansas City is among the most valuable brands in the metro, TeamKC announced Friday, touting the startup as an economic development driver worthy of its MVP award. Made in KC — founded in 2015 as a retailer of Kansas City-centric and locally designed and made…

KCultivator Q&A: Donald Hawkins chews on sage advice, blood sausage, ‘circle of giving’

By Tommy Felts / January 25, 2019

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Founders should rally around Kansas City’s startup ecosystem like fans rallied around the Chiefs, said Donald Hawkins. “If you look at a lot of the companies that have scaled — there’s a huge connection gap between…