Profiles

Paul Kaster, Crooked Branch, Carbon Cravat

Ties meet rocket tech: Crooked Branch refines bow ties with carbon fiber, urging fearlessness

By Tommy Felts / March 21, 2019

Capitalize on what’s trendy, find a way to make it better, and the work will do itself, Paul Kaster said of his fresh-out-of-high school startup journey. Such a mindset has only elevated business for Kaster, founder of Crooked Branch Studio. The entrepreneur recently launched a line of bow ties made from carbon fiber — a…

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Doob in doubt: 3D-printed action figures fighting to secure a paying audience in KC

By Tommy Felts / March 19, 2019

Business isn’t what it should be for a company as innovative as Doob 3D, Nick Nikkhah said openly, seated on a leather couch that looked out across the Overland Park retail store’s showroom. “People don’t know what to do with [Doob]. They’re just like, ‘Whoa, what is that?’ … It’s a new thing for me.…

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Andrew Carlson and Julie Korona, Paloma Post

Duo designs Paloma Post greeting cards for more inclusive representation of couples

By Tommy Felts / March 15, 2019

As she stood flipping through an endless sea of birthday cards, Julie Korona couldn’t find a single one that would send the right message to her then-fiancé, Tyler, she recalled. “All of the cards that I was looking through either said ‘husband’ or were super generic,” said Korona, co-founder of Paloma Post — a newly…

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Megh Knappenberger, Megh Makes Art

Artist who won rare Jayhawk licensing deal — scoring a $150K payday — set to rebound

By Tommy Felts / March 14, 2019

Seemingly routine for many Kansas fans, crimson and blue are once again among the colors flooding the canvas of the 2019 NCAA tournament. But for artist Megh Knappenberger, the Jayhawks’ familiar palate has painted an entrepreneurial journey with as thrilling ups and downs as Big 12 basketball, she said. “It’s a pretty special and unique…

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Skip by Digital Baron

Skip restaurant lines (and downloading another app) with text-based ordering

By Tommy Felts / March 13, 2019

In an increasingly automated world, American consumers are experiencing app exhaustion while continuing to need innovative solutions to address daily pain points like waiting in lines at their favorite restaurants, said Eric Tucker. “People are tired of downloading apps,” said Tucker, founder of KC-based Digital Baron, which  delivers Skip, an app-less mobile and pay platform.…

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