News

Ready to bet big? Kansas wants to help entrepreneurs win more federal innovation grants

By Tommy Felts / December 9, 2025

Kansas innovators now have access to a new tool designed to help them compete for major federal funding. The Kansas Department of Commerce has opened applications for the state’s SBIR and STTR Matching Program, which provides financial support and hands-on guidance for entrepreneurs pursuing federal innovation grants. The matching initiative is part of ACCEL-KS, a…

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New Maker of the Year: Why this mom’s side hustle for the girly girls couldn’t stay at home

By Tommy Felts / December 9, 2025

A hobbyist venture that began with making shirts for her kids has earned Julie Swopes a spot on Made in KC’s shelves for her Chiefs- and Royals-inspired tees — along with one of the local-first retailer’s top honors: KC New Maker of the Year for 2025. “I’m just a stay-at-home mom that has turned her…

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Don’t be a stranger: When this Crossroads refuge closes, another chapter begins for Afterword (and the space it leaves behind)

By Tommy Felts / December 8, 2025

With two more Open Mic Nights and more than a month left on its lease at Afterword Tavern & Shelves — a cozy corner hotspot where patrons leisurely bond over drinks and good reads — the popular Crossroads third-space isn’t finished telling its story despite losing the space to its new landlord, said Kate Hall.…

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Exporting KC to the world: Esports leader revs come-from-behind global takeover amid World Cup’s big draw

By Tommy Felts / December 6, 2025

As the metro bundled up and showed out Friday, getting its latest taste of what the 2026 World Cup has in store, the Kansas City Pioneers dropped new heat — raising the thermostat on their commitment to seize the moment brought forth by the global gathering as a net for esports.  “Now is the time for…

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Entrepreneur of the Year honorees stepped through a wormhole of fate: Here’s what they found in KC

By Tommy Felts / December 5, 2025

The ultra successful all share one common influence, said Peter Mallouk: luck. And for the president and CEO of Creative Planning, good fortune has revolved around Kansas City. It all started when his parents left Egypt and ended up in Brookside, he told a crowd Wednesday evening during the 39th University of Missouri-Kansas City Entrepreneur…

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