News

Thou Mayest closes Crossroads shop: How a gritty, COVID-proof cafe on casters could be coffee’s future

By Tommy Felts / July 9, 2020

Bo Nelson might’ve already perfected the roasts at Thou Mayest, but he’s still percolating on what the coffee experience of the 21st Century will look, feel and taste like, he said. The roaster retailer closed its Crossroads coffee shop June 30 — just a year after reopening Thou Mayest at a new home in the…

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Daya Johnson, Daya & Me

Repairing weapons to crocheting dolls: Soldier deploys maker skills to craft Daya & Me

By Tommy Felts / July 9, 2020

Armed with a crochet hook — one more tool than the standard-issue weapons cache of her fellow soldiers — Daya Johnson was in a battle against time. Typically less than nine months. “In the middle of Kuwait, I had a huge tough box that was full of yarn that I had my sister send me…

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Chris Cheatham, RiskGenius, and Travis Holt, Brush Creek Partners; bcp tech accelerator launch party, December 2019

Overland Park startup among half-dozen companies selected for KC’s new insurtech accelerator

By Tommy Felts / July 7, 2020

A new insurtech accelerator is ready to launch virtually, Brush Creek Partners announced this week, revealing the first cohort for bcp tech. “Despite the challenges of COVID-19, bcp tech attracted an incredible group of applicants, all with unique broker-focused insurtech solutions,” said Travis Holt, CEO and co-founder of bcp tech and Brush Creek Partners, reflecting…

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Karen Fenaroli, Pure Pitch Rally 2019

Pure Pitch Rally opens applications, plans for in-person fall event at new Loews hotel

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2020

The best way to create more opportunity — and equity — is to push forward, said Karen Fenaroli. Competition applications are open for the first major in-person startup event announced since COVID-19 shut down many Kansas City workplaces and brought traditional networking to a standstill. The invite-only Pure Pitch Rally is set for Oct. 12…

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Christopher Jones, MatchRite Care; Jeff Blackwood, PANDA Healthcare Technologies; Rob Hughey and Karen Hughey, Team Cura; and Juaquan Herron and Rodney McDuffie II, The Vendors Assistant; Digital Sandbox KC

‘Beacon of light’ — Meet four new Digital Sandbox startups that could reshape KC tech

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2020

Digital Sandbox KC’s latest quartet of funded companies will help Kansas City build a better, more inclusive startup ecosystem, said Jill Meyer. “We’ve always been keenly aware of the inequities in the tech ecosystem, especially for entrepreneurs of color,” said Meyer, who leads Digital Sandbox and is senior director of the Technology Ventures Studio at…

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