Woman-led

Maggie Kenefake, Royal Street Ventures, Kansas City University Venture Fund

Founders’ Lab aims to open access to the world of capital for underrepresented would-be startup, investment leaders

By Tommy Felts / December 3, 2020

A pandemic-founded program has students leading the charge as a new generation of founders and venture capitalists rises together against the backdrop of an evolving and accessible Kansas City, Maggie Kenefake said.  “With underrepresented founders, it’s really shocking,” said Kenefake, managing director of Kansas City University Venture Fund (KCUVF) and venture partner at Royal Street…

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La’Nesha Frazier and La’Nae Robinson, Bliss Books and Wine

Partners in page turning: Sisters unwind with cigar bar-style concept for wine-loving readers

By Tommy Felts / November 28, 2020

Sure, wine pairs great with dinner or sweets — but have you ever tried it with just the right book, asked Kansas City-born sisters La’Nesha Frazier and La’Nae Robinson. “If I’m reading a comedy, I don’t want something dark, something like a heavy red wine. I want light. I want something fruity, I want something…

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Nicole Beals, Techmate

New in KC: Quarantine with family leads Techmate founder to open office in Kansas City

By Tommy Felts / November 24, 2020

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Growing up in Nebraska, Nicole Beals felt like she needed…

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Jasmine Jones, Cherry Blossom Intimates

Boutique startup specializing in breast prosthesis for cancer survivors catches attention of KC healthcare investor

By Tommy Felts / November 24, 2020

As the new year rang in 2020, Jasmine Jones envisioned pop-up shops for Cherry Blossom Intimates — an accredited medical facility housed within a lingerie boutique that provides breast cancer survivors with customizable prosthesis.  Eleven months into the unpredictable year, however, Jones innovated the startup into a virtual brand. “I had to ask myself, ‘What would…

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Courtney Lane, Never Forgotten

Victorian hair artist resurrects dead art form; talks representation for asexual, disabled communities

By Tommy Felts / November 20, 2020

For as long as Courtney Lane can remember, she’s had a fascination with the ways people memorialize their deceased loved ones, the Kansas City hair artist said. “I had a family who didn’t shelter me from the concept of death,” Lane recalled. “When I was 5 or 6 years old, my grandmother took me on…

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