Startups

Jackie Nguyen, Cafe Cà Phê

New in KC: Why Jackie Nguyen hit the brakes on acting to open a mobile coffee cafe

By Tommy Felts / September 26, 2020

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. Lifting the curtain on the region’s first Vietnamese coffee traveling cafe, Jackie Nguyen is…

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Christopher Oppenhuis, Marcell Coffee Projects

Barrel-aged blends: One of KC’s hottest new roasts comes steeped in local libations 

By Tommy Felts / September 25, 2020

Something bolder is steeping on the Kansas City coffee scene — pairing one of the metro’s most experienced roasters with a leader in local liquor.  “People have been really interested in [blended beverages] around here,” said Christopher Oppenhuis, founder of Marcell Coffee Projects — the year-old private label roasting operation that helps keep a slew of…

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Michael De Vincenzi, Peter McClung and Jeremey Charbonnet, The Jump

More social, less media: KC startup launching platform with no ads, algorithms or addiction

By Tommy Felts / September 24, 2020

As the Digital Age flourishes with hundreds of millions of people on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms, Grandview-based The Jump hopes to change the culture behind news and user feeds. The pitch: Create a healthier, positive place online where people can bond over common interests and form authentic relationships, said Peter McClung. …

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Nate Morsches, CEO and co-founder, Restaurant, Pub & Games (RPG)

Pitch Perfect expands bootcamp to a dozen startups: Meet the capital-raising cohort

By Tommy Felts / September 24, 2020

Going virtual because of COVID-19 concerns might limit in-person interactions during the Pitch Perfect bootcamp, said Kathryn Golden, but it allows the seventh cohort to double its size and potential impact on growing startups. “We finally came to accept that moving ahead online — while not ideal — was important,” said Golden, director of entrepreneur…

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Al Davis Memorial Torch, photo courtesy of Dimensional Innovations

Dimensional Innovations’ 93-foot Raiders stadium torch could be world’s tallest 3D-printed structure

By Tommy Felts / September 22, 2020

Kansas City burned brightly during “Monday Night Football” this week, sharing the spotlight as the Las Vegas Raiders notched an early season victory over the New Orleans Saints. Viewers watched Monday as the National Football League’s broadcast unveiled a closely-guarded secret: the completed Al Davis Memorial Torch — a 93-foot, 3D-printed structure built by Overland…

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