Woman-led

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

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…

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

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…

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

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…

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

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…

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

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…