Youth

This 11yo kidtrepreneur is skipping past lemonade stands, taking Nelson’s Flavorades straight to the store

By Tommy Felts / February 11, 2022

A shot of flavor is headed for Hy-Vee as the grocer gives a KCK-raised kidtrepreneur the chance to stock his sellout product in a limited run. “It’s amazing,” Nelson McConnell, the 11-year-old owner of Nelson’s Flavorades, said of the opportunity to sell his lemonade blends on store shelves. Beginning Saturday, customers can visit the Mission…

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Angels in class: How Mizzou’s student-run venture course is investing up to $50K in real startups

By Tommy Felts / November 13, 2021

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. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. [divide]…

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UMKC unveils innovation studio, inviting students, entrepreneurs to collaborate within $32M research center

By Tommy Felts / September 29, 2021

In a hiring environment where college graduates are expected to possess honed skills for even entry-level positions, a state-of-the-art innovation studio in the heart of Kansas City allows students access to technology to actually build products within their chosen professions. “We have never had a facility like this — with the diversity of equipment and…

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Makefully Studios earns $1M grant for problem-solving game co-designed by kids

By Tommy Felts / September 20, 2021

A Kansas City media company’s commitment to play-based research and development recently helped score Makefully Studios a $1 million government grant for a children’s problem-solving game. “There’s no other word but proud and grateful,” said Anna Jordan-Douglass, founder and chief creative officer of Makefully Studios, which recently was awarded the funds from the National Science Foundation’s…

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Initiative to employ at-risk KC youth provides jobs for 427 teens, raises $600K for stipend fund

By Tommy Felts / July 24, 2021

A community’s most impactful investment is in its youth, Mayor Quinton Lucas said Friday during a media event for the Working for Youth anti-violence and youth employment initiative.  In April, the mayor’s office announced a partnership with KC Common Good, Hire KC and Entrepreneurship KC to establish the Working for Youth program that would train…

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