News

Kritiq to KC fashion designers: Don’t wear a label — create your own (Photos)

By Tommy Felts / November 20, 2018

As the Kritiq fashion show came to its booming, music-filled conclusion Sunday, the crowd, designers and models meshed into a sea of energy on the runway — fueled by the MADE MOBB and an interactive experience like no other in Kansas City, said Mark Launiu. “Street wear and hip hop — they just blend together.…

Epic Aloha: KC startup opens interactive, photo-ready experience in Hawaii’s biggest hotel

By Tommy Felts / November 20, 2018

Surrounded by lush Hawaiian scenery, Epic Aloha waves to vacationers with an unexpected ask: Trade the Waikiki sunshine for another kind of island escape. “It’s a really hard concept to talk about. It’s such a visual thing,” said Matt Baysinger, searching for words to describe the 6,000-square-foot Epic Aloha experience space. “Is it a selfie…

Opening KC to black entrepreneurs begins with teaching startup lingo, tearing down walls

By Tommy Felts / November 19, 2018

Most entrepreneurs operate within silos, said Adrienne Haynes, noting that black-run startups face particular — though not insurmountable — challenges becoming embedded in the Kansas City startup scene. Seemingly approachable community events and coworking spaces aren’t always as open as organizers think, added Quest Moffat, founder of Project United Knowledge, joining Haynes and Donald Hawkins,…

Facing failure? Think about the bad ideas first

By Tommy Felts / November 17, 2018

Entrepreneurs need to stop glamorizing the startup world, and recognize the inevitable burnout or failure involved, said Danielle Lehman. Lehman, founder of Kansas City-based consulting firm Boxer & Mutt, knows about failure, she told a crowd Friday at Global Entrepreneurship Week, noting a list of startups that she was involved in, including MySpace, that didn’t…

‘Don’t shut yourself off’: Seniorpreneurs reveal power in age, experience, savings

By Tommy Felts / November 17, 2018

Figure out what you love to do and monetize it, Ann O’Meara told a room of entrepreneurs looking for advice on starting their second act after retirement. Seniorpreneurs — entrepreneurs over the age of 50 — are working to turn their lifelong hobbies into cash flow, O’Meara, CEO of Fantastic 55, revealed during a Global…