Opinion

Arredondo: Serendipity, passion collide to form the KC Startup Foundation

By Tommy Felts / August 9, 2017

I’m not going to lie. It’s been a heckuva ride. Who could have imagined the Kansas City Startup Village’s serendipitous start in Fall 2012 would turn into all this? Not me. I vividly remember the nights Matthew Marcus and I were awake at 2 a.m., trying to keep up with the flood of emails from…

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Affinity Worldwide CEO hopes $1M gift to Kansas City Startup Foundation spurs more community giving

By Tommy Felts / August 6, 2017

Editor’s note: Michael Wrenn previously was the owner of Startland News and its parent organization, the Center for Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development (CEED). [divide] I’m a big believer in counting blessings and doing my small part to give back. My wife, Becky Cole, CFO of Affinity Worldwide, is of the same mindset. We’ve enjoyed success over…

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Denise Kruse: So your startup has a strategy — now what?

By Tommy Felts / August 4, 2017

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. [divide] Strategy. Strategic plan. Go-to-market. Blueprint. Tactics. Startup innovators probably have heard an exhaustive list of synonyms and buzzwords. I’ve seen them all as a business leader for more than 30 years, helping companies define their strategy or execute on it. And there’s good…

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In swan song, departing innovation official Kate Garman reflects on tenure with KCMO

By Tommy Felts / July 18, 2017

Editor’s note: Kate Garman is the KCMO innovation analyst but will be departing this week for a new opportunity in Seattle. She wrote the following piece reflecting on her time with the city. [divide margin_top=”1″ margin_bottom=”2″] I’ve had a desk at Kansas City Hall now for three years. Starting as an intern, and later joining…

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Callie England opens up on why she stepped down from Rawxies

By Tommy Felts / July 12, 2017

Editor’s note: The following piece by Callie England sheds light on why she stepped down as CEO of the vegan snack company Rawxies. It contains explicit language. [divide margin_top=”1″ margin_bottom=”1″] The other day I found myself frozen in panic; what the fuck just happened!? And when I say “just happened” I’m referring to the past six years: From…

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