Startups

Sandy Kemper-led YEP KC primes teen entrepreneurs for success

By Tommy Felts / October 24, 2017

If all extraordinary students knew they were exceptional, the world would be a much more entrepreneurial place, said Sandy Kemper. “It’s the future of our city,” said Kemper, co-founder of YEP KC, about young talent. “If we can capture them early, before they go to college, we can create a network that can sustain them…

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FitBark keeps pups slim on ‘My Big Fat Pet Makeover’

By Tommy Felts / October 20, 2017

While the staggering rate of obesity for adult humans in the U.S. isn’t new, a startling pet trend has emerged: More than half of dogs and cats in the U.S. are obese. A new Animal Planet show, “My Big Fat Pet Makeover,” seeks to highlight the problem and help set furry friends on the right…

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Photos: Take a look at Virgin Mobile USA’s startup-like office space

By Tommy Felts / October 20, 2017

Many in the Kansas City startup community often call upon corporations to better engage with earlier stage entrepreneurs. Virgin Mobile USA wants to flip that script, said Justin Scott, Virgin Mobile director of communications. Despite being a subsidiary of Sprint Corporation and backed by billionaire investor Richard Branson, the firm — which selected Kansas City for…

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After shootings, ‘It’s most important to keep the public safe,’ Smart City leaders say

By Tommy Felts / October 19, 2017

Citizens expect public safety from their city government to encompass such basics as sidewalks and water, Bob Bennett said. And for that reason, improving public safety must be a top concern for smart city projects around the nation, the chief innovation officer at the City of Kansas City, Missouri, added. “We have to provide the…

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The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation

Kauffman report: KC ranks 28 out of 40 in entrepreneurial growth

By Tommy Felts / October 19, 2017

Fewer Kansas City companies are growing to become medium- or large-sized firms, according to a report released Thursday by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. It’s a common story across the U.S., as the nation rebounds from the slump of the Great Recession, the report says. The 2017 Kauffman Index of Growth Entrepreneurship report suggests the…

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