News

UMKC, Kauffman launch $100K resiliency grant fund for minority-owned businesses hit by COVID

By Tommy Felts / August 5, 2020

Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial sponsor of Startland News. This report was produced independently by Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. A new $100,000 fund is expected to help minority-owned Kansas City businesses — left out of initial rounds of COVID-19 relief — to build resiliency and come back stronger as the…

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Image courtesy of Visit Topeka

Behind the scenes of Topeka’s innovation district: Why leaders think a new startup hub is rising west of KC 

By Tommy Felts / August 5, 2020

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. Silicon…

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Rachel Cohen, My Bear Jeff

My Bear Jeff unboxes mission to soothe childhood trauma, begins delivering teddy bear relief

By Tommy Felts / August 4, 2020

Inspired to deliver peace to trauma-affected children, My Bear Jeff officially launched its teddy bear relief effort in late July after a successful kickstarter campaign, said Rachel Cohen. “The support we’ve had is so insane and absolutely wild — like this community and my friends and family saw this vision and were like, ‘Yes, let’s…

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John Fein and Chris Marks, Firebrand Ventures

$40M Firebrand II fund strengthened by Kansas City VC’s merger with Boulder firm, leaders say 

By Tommy Felts / August 3, 2020

Merging two venture capital funds focused on one startup-rich portfolio is expected to create a larger platform for founders in up-and-coming markets, said Chris Marks. “While a merger is unique in the venture world, this feels very natural based on our overlap in values, our shared commitment to supporting authentic leaders, and our similar focus…

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Dave Derr, Wiener Wagon, Overland Park Farmers Market

Socially reduced crowds a ‘really tough blow’ to vendors as markets balance safety, survival

By Tommy Felts / August 1, 2020

Crowds reduced by COVID-19 precautions and confusion over what’s actually open have yielded dramatically reduced revenue for vendors who rely on Kansas City’s farmers markets, craft fairs and other public events. “To go eight years doing something and then suddenly you’re straight-up 50-60 percent of [the revenue], that’s a really tough blow,” said Dave Derr,…

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