News

How KC helped baseball’s bright yellow ringmaster bring the Savannah Bananas to TikTok fame

By Tommy Felts / November 17, 2023

Kansas City will always hold a special place in Jesse Cole’s heart, shared the owner of the Savannah Bananas, baseball’s answer to the Harlem Globetrotters. “You guys gave us our first shot,” explained Cole, the founder of Fans First Entertainment — fully outfitted in his signature yellow tux at Thursday’s Kansas City Area Development Council…

Nonprofit founded to equip K-9 officers with bulletproof vests goes viral thanks to four-legged artists

By Tommy Felts / November 16, 2023

LAWRENCE — What began as a problem keeping Emily Fawcett up at night has grown into a tail-wagging nonprofit effort recently featured on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” — all thanks to a viral social media post showcasing a Kansas police dog painting instead of panting. Fawcett, whose background is in animal welfare, was asked in 2020…

PayIt appoints new president and COO as fast-scaling KC govtech company hits pivotal moment

By Tommy Felts / November 16, 2023

A veteran govtech leader is joining one of Kansas City’s best-known scale-ups as the company eyes a new era of growth and the expansion of its national and international footprint.  PayIt — a leader in digital customer experience solutions with integrated payments for state, local, and provincial governments — announced on Thursday the appointment of…

It started with street smarts and a spit handshake; the only thing MADE MOBB was missing: a business book

By Tommy Felts / November 16, 2023

Editor’s note: Startland News’ coverage of Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City is made possible by the support of Husch Blackwell. Celebrating the victories is easy, said Vu Radley, calling out a decade in business for his streetwear company, MADE MOBB, along with high profile partnerships ranging from UMKC and United Way to the Kansas Chiefs and…

LaunchKC awards $300K: Six new startups enter the winners’ circle with KC investments

By Tommy Felts / November 15, 2023

Editor’s note: Startland News’ coverage of Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City is made possible by the support of Husch Blackwell. Emerging entrepreneurs don’t need Silicon Valley to launch or scale their startups, said Holly Andra Small, leader of one of six companies announced Tuesday as $50,000 winners in LaunchKC’s grants competition.  “We were so excited,” said…