AY Young pivots Battery Tour to music festival benefitting those without power

With an ear-to-ear grin and his infectious laugh, AY Young admits he’s perhaps an unlikely rapper. Back from taking a shot at stardom in California, the Kansas City-born Eagle Scout-turned-college basketball player-turned performer is plugging into the entrepreneur community in hopes of more efficiently powering the Battery Tour. “We’re essentially using the universal language of…

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Brewers ferment market opportunity, health benefits with kombucha startups

Fermented foods represent more than just trendy, niche products, Kansas City’s kombucha startups say. They’re where gut health and market opportunity meet. “If it’s not local, it’s not fresh,” said Lisa Bledsoe, emphasizing the quality advantage Kansas City brewers have over national brands competing for cooler space at metro grocery stores. Bledsoe’s Tea-Biotics Kombucha has…

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Kauffman: Going digital allows FastTrac to expand, remove financial barriers

Access to entrepreneurship education should be a fundamental human right, said Michele Markey, Kauffman FastTrac spokesperson. A program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, FastTrac has equipped more than 350,000 aspiring entrepreneurs with business skills they need during its nearly 25 years of service, Markey said. To further expand its reach, the program launched a…

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