Woman-led

Kirsten and Raul Reyes, Beyond Borders Collective

They met in Ecuador, relocated to KC; now one couple is wrapping the culture gap with native blankets 

By Tommy Felts / July 10, 2021

Editor’s note: The following story — a spotlight on a member of the Plexpod community — is sponsored by Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. A Kansas City company’s mission to connect U.S. consumers to native blankets ethically produced by artisans in Ecuador is…

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U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids visiting Upper Crust Pie Bakery in downtown Overland Park

Survival took more than just PPP — but federal relief proved pivotal, small biz owners tell Davids

By Tommy Felts / July 10, 2021

Sharice Davids strolled through downtown Overland Park Friday afternoon — with an ice cream cone in hand — stopping to meet with local small business owners to hear their pandemic survival stories and how federal relief programs played a role.  “Today has been really fun; to see just how innovative … the problem-solving modes that…

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The Prospect KC rendering

$250K in matching funds brings Prospect Urban Eatery free culinary training closer to boil

By Tommy Felts / July 7, 2021

Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News, though this story was produced independently by Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. A quarter-million-dollar grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is expected to push The Prospect KC into operational scale in the months ahead, said Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant.  News of the…

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Madden and Tovah Tanner, Royale Cohesive Network

How a KC mom and her 12-year-old co-founder are rewriting the book on entrepreneurship

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2021

Guiding young people through the ins and outs of entrepreneurship is a family affair for Tovah Tanner, a metro woman on a mission to create a Kansas City that thinks critically, holds values, and possesses life skills that build lasting wealth.  “My son, Madden Tanner, is our co-founder. He’s 12 years old,” Tanner said, recalling…

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Angela Presnell, lilhoopgirl

She earned 21K followers with a plastic circle; now Angela Presnell hoops to transfer social media popularity to a paid platform

By Tommy Felts / July 1, 2021

An Instagram page launched in 2016 to document then-college freshman Angela Presnell’s progression in hooping today reaches more than 21,000 followers — and sends the active entrepreneur across the globe to teach her artform in person. “I needed some sort of creative outlet that could be totally mine,” said Presnell, the 24-year-old Kansas Citian behind…

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