News

He’s bringing NFTs to Instagram; how Mark Zuckerberg’s next move could push you further into the metaverse

By Tommy Felts / March 19, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story is part of Startland News’ coverage of the SXSW conference in Austin. Click here to read more stories from the 2022 trip. AUSTIN — NFTs are headed to Instagram — but the virtual assets aren’t the only thing Mark Zuckerberg has planned for humanity’s journey deep into the metaverse.  “That’s…

Dreamgirl hits the start button at SXSW; why the KC band tells its peers to break out of the Midwest

By Tommy Felts / March 19, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story is part of Startland News’ coverage of the SXSW conference in Austin. Click here to read more stories from the 2022 trip. AUSTIN — Dreamgirl describes itself as a family — a bit dysfunctional at times, but nonetheless family, members of the Kansas City-based band shared, laughing the morning before their…

Climate change innovation, leadership must be built at the local level, Buttigieg tells SXSW

By Tommy Felts / March 19, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story is part of Startland News’ coverage of the SXSW conference in Austin. Click here to read more stories from the 2022 trip. AUSTIN — The keys to solving climate change could already be in the ignition, Pete Buttigieg said, empowering a crowd of innovation leaders to sit in the passenger…

Sit Foundry takes a stand for ‘lost art’ of upholstery amid fast furniture’s climate threat

By Tommy Felts / March 17, 2022

Alex Krause Matlack is bringing what she teaches in the classroom to Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as she pursues Sit Foundry — an all-inclusive reupholstery design studio.  “In the first week of my Intro to Entrepreneurship class, I tell my students to go out into the world and take notice of the problems they face.…

De-risking a dangerous job: How a window washing startup is raising the bar (and hose) with drones

By Tommy Felts / March 15, 2022

It’s a nightmare to clean the windows of multi-story buildings, said Andrew Brain. “It’s incredibly unsafe for folks to be hanging on the side of buildings — and it’s incredibly expensive for them to be there. Insurance liability has gone up 300 to 400 percent. … I was thinking that there’s got to be a…