KCultivator Q&A: Jessica Powell gets candid about ‘KC Nice’ (and how she’d spend $1M)

By Tommy Felts | October 13, 2025

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. [divide] Let’s get real, Jessica Powell said with a wry smirk, explaining her vision for a Kansas City that works together — and stops cannibalizing its own.   “I’m a startup junkie,” the community champion and founder of…

Read More

Missouri Starters Coalition debuts effort to boost homegrown jobs, future founders 

By Tommy Felts | September 11, 2025

Entrepreneurs across Missouri gained a new champion this week as regional and national advocates launched a new coalition to support builders in the face of systemic, confidence-shaking roadblocks as they seek to drive job creation and higher lifetime incomes. The Missouri Starters Coalition on Thursday unveiled its founding members — Back2KC, Cortex, E-Factory, Keystone Innovation…

Read More

Gatekeepers hate to see them coming: Why Back2KC leaders think these outsiders could be the next best Kansas Citians

By Tommy Felts | September 11, 2025

A Kansas City homecoming movement with a track record of sparking real relocations and startup investment is gearing up for its annual gathering — welcoming expatriates and newcomers alike as it seeks to deepen ties between the city and its far-flung alumni. But the program’s high-octane leader insists the work of Back2KC isn’t just about…

Read More

Back2KC sets return date for its 2024 homecoming effort, scouting familiar faces to build an even stronger KC

By Tommy Felts | June 7, 2024

When Back2KC returns this fall, the homegrown talent recruitment initiative will lean on unexpected connections to entice former residents — now out-of-town professionals — to give Kansas City’s recent Golden Age another look, organizers said.  “The biggest win we can have is if these expats and ex-Kansas Citians come back, move their families here, move…

Read More