Startups

Ivraj Seerha, Bellwethr; Alexandra Wooden, Idle Smart; Kevin McPherson, Bellwethr; and Alex Tran, Five Elms

Venture for America fellows bringing diversity of thought to KC tech, investment firms

By Tommy Felts / June 11, 2019

Venture for America fellows are flocking to Kansas City, said Kate Loar. “Venture For America’s initial Kansas City champions: the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Pepper, KCRise Fund, and Super Dispatch set the groundwork for growth in KC,” noted Loar, VFA director in St. Louis and Kansas City. “We’re excited to expand the local VFA cohort…

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Heather and Kyle Steppe, KC Hemp Co.

Into the weeds: Your corner CBD store might’ve just lost its bank thanks to a slow-to-innovate industry

By Tommy Felts / June 11, 2019

Banking as a mom-and-pop CBD shop can be treacherous, said Kyle Steppe. “Our first week in business, our bank shut us down and liquidated all of our assets,” said Steppe, who operates KC Hemp Co. with his wife, Heather. Their downtown Overland Park storefront is one of many independent, regional CBD sites suffering from the…

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Graham Dodge, Garnish Health, Sickweather

Crowdfunding sites won’t pay your medical bills, Sickweather CEO says, launching reciprocating donation platform

By Tommy Felts / June 10, 2019

Crowdfunding can help, but such tactics are unlikely to cover the medical bills of a person struggling with mounting healthcare costs, Graham Dodge said. “The unrealistic amount of self promotion needed to reach people outside your own personal network — which can happen if the media picks up on your story — is the main…

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$50K inclusion grant to KCMO a step toward ‘most entrepreneurial city’ for everyone

By Tommy Felts / June 8, 2019

Kansas City, Missouri, pocketed a major win for the entrepreneurial community Wednesday, becoming one of 10 cities in the nation to be selected for the City Accelerator initiative for inclusive contract procurement. The city will receive a $50,000 grant by the Citi Foundations and Living Cities to increase the opportunities for firms owned by people…

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Ron LeMay, Main Street Data, Open Air Equity Partners

Startup, investor, corporate worlds collide; Ron LeMay’s message for KC: Sit down and talk

By Tommy Felts / June 7, 2019

Ron LeMay wasn’t willing to watch entrepreneurs flee Kansas City to build their game-changing companies on the coasts, he recalled. “That’s a prescription for disaster over time,” LeMay, CEO of Main Street Data and managing director of Open Air Equity Partners, said of the way he viewed entrepreneurial progress in the City of Fountains as…

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