Startups

Good Bitter Best

Fund Me, KC: Good Bitter Best hopes to mix cocktails with community, pivots to add virtual bartender

By Tommy Felts / September 22, 2020

Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like Jennifer Agnew’s Good Bitter Best campaign — to share their crowdfunding stories to gain a little help from their supporters. Who are you? I am Jennifer Agnew, public school…

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Shelley Cooper, SureShow, Diversity Telehealth

How Shelley Cooper hopes to turn her telehealth remedy into an appointment for ‘Unicornville’

By Tommy Felts / September 22, 2020

No shows mean no dough — but SureShow means cash flow, Dr. Shelley Cooper rhymed, laughing. “I’m supposed to be really professional and that sounds kind of goofy, but you know, if it makes people remember … ” joked Cooper, founder of SureShow by Diversity Telehealth, in a rare moment of downtime as she prepared for…

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KC performer appointed UN Young Leader, extending Battery Tour’s energy worldwide, says AY Young

By Tommy Felts / September 18, 2020

Singer-songwriter-street performer AY Young has a new stage for his unique message, announcing Friday the Kansas City artist’s appointment as one of the United Nations’ 17 Young Leaders for Sustainable Development Goals. “I’ll be honest, I was like, ‘It’s about time,’” Young said, laughing. “I’ve powered over 800 concerts using renewable energy; I’ve been getting…

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Donald Hawkins, KC Collective; STARTLAND's Innovation Exchange

Winning pitch: Leading KC fintech founder deposits trio of new bank partnerships 

By Tommy Felts / September 18, 2020

One of Kansas City’s prominent fintech and nonprofit leaders has secured partnerships with three of the regions leading banks.  Donald Hawkins, founder and CEO of Griffin Technologies and a co-leader in KC Collective, was awarded pilot projects with Emprise Bank, Fidelity Bank, and Intrust Bank, Thursday — part of the Wichita-based NXSTAGE Pilot Competition, hosted…

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Beating the boys club: Mother of three hits the mat with girls wrestling shoes

By Tommy Felts / September 17, 2020

Anything guys can do, girls and women just might be doing better, Deb North said.  “Our whole goal is to support girls in this process and build them up and be their cheerleaders,” North, founder of Yes! Athletics, explained of the social enterprise — which recently launched The Defiant 1 wrestling shoe, a breathable, lightweight, eco-friendly shoe…

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