Profiles

Whitney Manney; Todd Race Photography

Designer Whitney Manney using JOANN grant to reshape the fabric of KC’s fashion scene

Kansas City is legit — and it’s full of talented creatives who national eyes should be watching, said Whitney Manney.  “I think COVID has shown us you can show up and show out from anywhere in this world,” added Manney, a local fashion designer, maker, and founder of the WHITNEYMANNEY (WM) fashion label, in announcement…

CuRVE Shield, Micro Mini Metal

How a no-touch copper tool built in Lenexa could be a tipping point for safe contact amid COVID

Editor’s note: The following is part of a three-part series spotlighting U.S. military veterans who also are Kansas City entrepreneurs. Innovation is at an all-time high as COVID-19 continues to create new market categories, said Shawn Tipping, noting the pandemic has raised new awareness about the thin barriers between health and sickness.  “We’ve never had…

Luke Wade, KC Crew

KC Crew founder set to open ‘first-of-many’ game-centered bar, restaurant in STL metro

Editor’s note: The following is part of a three-part series spotlighting U.S. military veterans who also are Kansas City entrepreneurs. This report features Luke Wade, a member of the Army National Guard who previously was deployed to Iraq. Luke Wade spent the past nine years connecting 70,000 Kansas Citians through KC Crew — a downtown-area…

Tate Hayes, Mowd

Mowd founder pivots beyond mowing lawns to tech startup; offering landscapers an online payment platform

The grass isn’t necessarily greener on the tech side of entrepreneurship, mused Tate Hayes, but revenue and market opportunity grow wild.  “[Small businesses and startups] come with their own difficulties and maybe even simplicities,” said Hayes, founder of Mowd, comparing his newly launched startup to his previous venture — Kansas City-based Hayes Lawncare.  “[As a…

Tristan Mace, parkermace

New in KC: Serial entrepreneur, advisor Tristan Mace sees KC as next major tech ecosystem  

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. While most 14-year-olds are worried about starting high school and…