News

Jayaun Smith and Steven Blakley, Sauced

Get sauced: Meet the hungry duo at the forefront of KC’s premier urban lunch counter

By Tommy Felts / April 24, 2021

Jayaun Smith spent his free time as a kid watching “Iron Chef America” and creating his own unique recipes with what was available, he shared — noting it didn’t take him long to fall in love with cooking. “I spent a lot of time alone growing up,” recalled the 25-year-old chef, who now leads the…

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Mikita Burton, Yoga on the Vine

Black, curvy and a certified yogi: How Mikita Burton is breaking down barriers with Yoga on the Vine

By Tommy Felts / April 23, 2021

Yoga is meant to be inclusive, said Mikita Burton, even if that sentiment stretches the modern American picture of who practices yoga. “I’m a curvier girl. I’m African American — that’s just not the typical demographic for yoga,” explained Burton, who has been a certified yoga instructor for the past five years. “My hope is…

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Chris Rehkamp

New in KC: Why UMKC’s island-hopping tech leader is trading Hawaiian surf for Kansas City turf 

By Tommy Felts / April 22, 2021

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. The Midwest is home, said Chris Rehkamp. “That’s where I feel like I’m really…

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Nick Bowden, Replica

Overland Park startup secures $41M as infrastructure gets new focus amid COVID, Biden presidency

By Tommy Felts / April 21, 2021

A massive round of Series B funding will boost Replica’s data platform as it changes how cities are planned and operated — especially in the wake of a global pandemic and a renewed emphasis on infrastructure spending from the federal level down, said Nick Bowden. The $41 million round was led by Founders Fund and…

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Franklin’s Stash House rolls MO cannabis opportunity into KC-made hemp blunts

By Tommy Felts / April 20, 2021

The timing is perfect for a cross-cultural cannabis company, Michael Wilson said Tuesday, announcing the 4/20 launch of Franklin’s Stash House, a hemp blunt maker headquartered near the Crossroads. “It’s a lifestyle brand that represents a segment of the culture that doesn’t get enough attention, trying to capture our creative energy in a cool form…

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