Woman-led

How Silicon Valley, Topeka joined forces for a downtown tech incubator in Top City capital

By Tommy Felts / February 27, 2025

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro.  TOPEKA — A new incubator is expected to help homegrown tech idealists turn their dreams into successful startups, said Stephanie Moran, sharing a vision for the Link Innovation Labs that…

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Why keep Betty Rae’s from the world? KC ice cream shop franchising brand across region

By Tommy Felts / February 27, 2025

Matt Shatto wants to “create smiles across the country” — not just in the metro. His plan: scoop a pint of franchising into the handcrafted mix for Betty Rae’s Ice Cream, a shop that developed into multiple must-visit Kansas City destinations over nearly a decade. Betty Rae’s is now targeting seven cities in the region…

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ProX calls on KC employers to help plant seeds; 1,700 student interns await program’s summer sunlight

By Tommy Felts / February 27, 2025

For the fourth consecutive summer, ProX — one of the largest paid internship programs in the country — is giving Kansas City-area employers the opportunity to invest in the region’s future talent, Solissa Franco-McKay shared. The collaborative ProX effort pairs Kansas City students — from both sides of the state line — with area employers…

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Superstars pack KC Chamber celebration with gratitude; thankful for a space to belong when many feel lost

By Tommy Felts / February 26, 2025

Julie Cortes beamed as she took in the energy of Kansas City’s small business community Tuesday evening — surrounded by hundreds of her fellow Small Business Superstars and a crowd eager to build an emerging spirit of entrepreneurship. “It feels so amazing to be here,” Cortes, founder of Freelance Rockstar, said from inside the packed…

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Rooftop Austin’s Bar & Grill just one step in unlocking Olathe’s ‘downtown renaissance’

By Tommy Felts / February 24, 2025

A century-old building in downtown Olathe will get new life as an indoor/outdoor restaurant complex known as County Square Commons — anchored by the popular Austin’s Bar & Grill. LANE4 Property Group and Austin’s are redeveloping the 10,859-square-foot building, which is expected to feature four or five storefronts on the street level at 114 to 126…

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