News

Hy-Vee’s small biz competition sends Midwest entrepreneurs racing for $50K checkout; Here are the winners

By Tommy Felts / September 13, 2024

BaKIT Box, a Chicago-based subscription service offering baking kits inspired by diverse global cuisines, took home the $30,000 grand prize at the 2024 Hy-Vee OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit.  Shelley Gupta, the founder and CEO of BaKIT Box, was thrilled to receive the grand prize, she said. “It feels incredible,” Gupta said. “I flew here last…

How city dollars could help crime victims get back to business; Mayor unveils new fund to support struggling entrepreneurs 

By Tommy Felts / September 13, 2024

A newly introduced fund aimed at helping KCMO small businesses recover from and prevent property crimes — offering grants up to $3,000 for damage repairs and $5,000 for security upgrades — is a step in the right direction, said Joe Giammanco, whose pizza shop was recently hit by criminals. “Programs like this are going to…

KC pet tech startup fetches $120K Techstars investment, taking founder’s pitch to Atlanta

By Tommy Felts / September 12, 2024

As Kansas City-built Interplay prepares to bring its debut product to market, the pet tech startup is getting a jolt of new energy from one of the nation’s top accelerator programs. The timing couldn’t be better, said founder Jonaie Johnson, announcing Interplay’s acceptance into Techstars Atlanta & New Orleans Powered by J.P. Morgan, which welcomed…

Swifts endorsement: KC couple opens Cadillac of Cajun restaurants along streetcar line

By Tommy Felts / September 11, 2024

Richard and Sheila Swift started small: selling their Cajun cuisine out of an existing bar and grill in Kansas City, Kansas, in late 2022. Within a few months they had a loyal following.  Still, they wanted their own operation. So they paused and spent a month planning their next step. They formed an LLC, splurged…

Aussie tech company with KC HQ closes $112M round to scale its global expansion, AI innovation

By Tommy Felts / September 11, 2024

As global technology company SafetyCulture closes another massive funding round, Kansas City — its largest market and biggest opportunity — stands primed for continued investment at the firm’s U.S. headquarters in the Crossroads Arts District. SafetyCulture on Tuesday announced a $112 million round — which values the Sydney, Australia-based workforce operations company at $1.7 billion —…