Startups

Edgar Palacios

Prospect to prosperity: Blue Hills boosting neighborhood entrepreneurs (Video)

By Tommy Felts / September 11, 2017

Economic development along Prospect Avenue requires a chain reaction across the community, Edgar Palacios said. “People need jobs to afford homes, so we need to create those jobs. We need to create some catalysts in this community,” said Palacios, Blue Hills Community Services executive director. “If we can have storefronts along Prospect, that attracts other…

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10 BetaBlox firms to know before demo day

By Tommy Felts / September 11, 2017

Kansas City-based accelerator BetaBlox announced the 10 companies pitching their companies during the program’s Sept. 23 demo day at The GRID. BetaBlox recently received a grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, as part of the KC Accelerator challenge. The 2017 demo day is sponsored by the foundation, BetaBlox founder Wes Bergmann said. This year’s…

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Lilly Long and Ryan Wing, The Sundry

On the menu: The Sundry tastes expansion with move to Plexpod

By Tommy Felts / September 8, 2017

Moving The Sundry this month to Plexpod reflects the evolution and future of where people live and work, Ryan Wing said. And, of course, how they eat. A leader in Kansas City’s sustainable food movement, The Sundry plans to relocate its store from the Crossroads to a 3,300-square-foot space at Plexpod Westport Commons. It’s the…

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Aleh Manchuliantsau and Anastasia Tkacheva, Planetarians

Techstars Spotlight: Planetarians’ hunger for tasty snacks blooms with Sunflower State secret ingredient

By Tommy Felts / September 8, 2017

It’s a simple solution: Eat your fruits and vegetables. Treating diseases caused by poor diet costs the United States about $1.4 trillion each year, Aleh Manchuliantsau said. “Fiber and plant protein have been shown to prevent diabetes, heart disease and obesity,” said Manchuliantsau, co-founder and CEO of Planetarians. “But despite the effort to get kids…

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Spanish-language business law class targets KC resource gap

By Tommy Felts / September 7, 2017

¡Llamando a todos los emprendedores! Language isn’t a barrier to entrepreneurial spirit, Adrienne Haynes said, and it shouldn’t prevent Kansas Citians from finding business success just because they don’t understand the nuances of startup lingo or legal processes. “Whether you’re a black- or brown-owned company, whether you’re woman-owned, whether Spanish is your primary language, or…

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