Startups

Beau Williams, Julep

Julep owner: KCMO liquor rules could drown bar-restaurants already struggling to reopen

By Tommy Felts / June 2, 2020

As locally owned bars and restaurants start to reopen, a new threat to their success is emerging — city regulations designed in a pre-pandemic world.  “There’s a lot of unintended consequences from these mandated shutdowns that need to be addressed from a legal standpoint,” explained Beau Williams, owner of Julep Cocktail Club in Westport.  While…

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Techstars KC returns: Meet 10 startups bringing diverse solutions to the rebooted accelerator 

By Tommy Felts / June 1, 2020

The hotly anticipated Techstars Kansas City 2020 accelerator class features startups enabling greater transparency and access in healthcare, the food supply, and justice for all, said Lesa Mitchell. Two of the ventures are based in St. Louis. “We’re also welcoming companies with new platforms and new business models that will attract and facilitate broader talent…

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COVID-19 opened door for to-go cocktails; KC Daiquiri duo wants to keep sales flowing permanently

By Tommy Felts / May 29, 2020

If Missouri and Kansas City leaders want to help small businesses recoup lost cash after weeks of shutdown, they’d be wise to take a cue from the Big Easy, said owners of KC Daiquiri Shop.  “The restaurant industry I’m seeing right now is kind of suffering,” explained Calvin Vick, who co-owns the New Orleans-inspired KC…

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Dart pedals more than a prototype: E-bikes as a route to equitable employment access

By Tommy Felts / May 28, 2020

Free bus rides aren’t the only solution to a lack of equity in Kansas City’s transportation options, explained Thomas Murphy.  “Only 18 percent of jobs here in the metro are available via 90-minute commute via public transit,” Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Dart, explained of the startup’s commitment to outfitting under-resourced pockets of the metro…

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Tesseract PRISM

Tesseract’s robot reveal: Wearable proximity trackers to keep workers at a safe distance  

By Tommy Felts / May 27, 2020

Kansas City-wired clip-on robots could make social distancing a second thought, as Tesseract Ventures shares its first mainstream product with the world.  “This product exemplifies our mantra that there is nothing more human than technology and is a great example of what you can expect to see from Tesseract Ventures in the future,” said John…

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