News Stories

Brian Roberts, The Black Pantry

Pop-up shop for Black-owned essentials plans its final 2020 stops; only the beginning, founder says

Editor’s note: This article is underwritten by Plexpod — a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes — but was independently produced by Startland News. Kansas City’s lack of a centralized shopping hub for products from Black-owned businesses frustrated Brian Roberts, he said, prompting the entrepreneur to launch…

Brian Platt, KCMO city manager

How Brian Platt’s innovation past unmasks KC’s potential for newly arrived city manager

Kansas City’s open spaces — and open mindset — quickly expose the region’s potential, said Brian Platt, eagerly rolling up his sleeves as the new KCMO city manager. “In a sense, it reminds me a lot of downtown Jersey City from a decade ago, give or take, in that there are plenty of new developments — tall…

KCSourceLink to pandemic-prompted entrepreneurs: 8 no-cost, low-cost classes to help start a dream business

As Kansas Citians reel from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many are turning to entrepreneurship, reports ecosystem builder KCSourceLink, citing a 367 percent increase in the number of people who reported starting a business.  The nonprofit, which helps new and seasoned entrepreneurs start and grow businesses by connecting them to more than 240 business-building resources in…

; Photo by Danielle Robinson

Newly-elected state school board rep Melanie Haas talks innovation (for more than just JoCo students)

Editor’s note: This article is underwritten by Plexpod — a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes — but was independently produced by Startland News. With a professional background in technology, Melanie Haas witnessed her industry empowering women to fill leadership roles, she said. So when it came…

Cart Kings

Safe and sanitized: Cart Kings corral COVID threat with three dads’ protective solution

Three Kansas City dads’ community-first mindsets pushed the trio to develop a “first-of-its-kind” technique for making grocery and retail stores across the metro safer amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Their mission: disinfect shopping carts and other well-used items via a sanitization trailer — bypassing the arduous, fallible and potentially dangerous process of cleaning by hand, said…