Startups

Follow the Leader

‘Follow the Leader’: Brothers bootstrapping horror movie set in abandoned KC-area mall

Not enough films are being shot in Kansas City, said brothers Ben and Jacob Burghart.   “The bigger problem is not enough feature films are utilizing Kansas City’s vast talent pool,” said Jacob. “[Kansas City is trying to] shoot more now, but we want to be a part of kind of kicking into another gear.”…

Unruh Furniture

#MomFund: Unruh Furniture builds more than tables inside a century-old church off KC’s Main Street

A table can mean stability, said Sam Unruh, founder of Unruh Furniture. It’s four legs help provide the emotional support for a home. “Growing up, my family ate together every night at the table. We all had our spots and still do to this day,” said Unruh, whose custom, made-to-order furniture business operates out of…

Tim Barton, Jessica Renfrew, and Matt Druten, Edison Spaces

Second Edison Spaces flexible office site designed for uncertainty of startup life

Growing a startup is risky enough, said Matt Druten, co-founder of Edison Spaces — entrepreneurs shouldn’t have to worry about finding and maintaining an office. “Changes are unexpected. Nobody really knows where their company is going to be in six months,” he said. “Is my startup going to double in size? Is it going to…

My Girl Story

Jasmine Diane: ‘My Girl Story’ empowerment is bigger than T-shirts, Instagram

Jasmine Diane Cooper dreams of inspiring women across the world with the My Girl Story movement, she said. “[As women] we will tear ourselves down or we look for things that kind of separate us, but we all have the same struggle,” said the social media influencer and rising star on the Kansas City marketing…

Pipeline

Pipeline rotates The Innovators gala to Omaha for celebration of fellows, incoming cohort

Pipeline hopes moving its The Innovators gala to Omaha for 2019 will help keep the premier startup event fresh after more than a decade in Kansas City, said Joni Cobb. “Change and experimentation are what Pipeline is all about,” said Cobb, president and CEO of Pipeline. “We are an entrepreneurial organization, and as such we…