Tag: Kauffman Foundation

Carol Espinosa, Freedom Interiors

Brazil to KC: Carol Espinosa showcases path to creativity, opportunity

By Tommy Felts / January 9, 2018

She arrived in the United States with just two suitcases and her own creativity, but today Carol Espinosa fills a 7,000-square-foot Westport storefront with enough modern workplace designs to unpack for weeks, she said. “This company was built from nothing,” said Espinosa, founder of Freedom Interiors. “It started with no customers, no product offerings —…

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Dr. Mark Bedell, Kansas City Public Schools

KCPS superintendent to city struggling with violence: When do we all come together?

By Tommy Felts / November 17, 2017

It’s inexcusable for Kansas City to simply accept 130 murders before it’s even December, Mark Bedell said. “Who do you think are committing these crimes?” Bedell, superintendent of Kansas City Public Schools, asked a crowd gathered Thursday for the Lean Lab’s Launch[ED) Day. “Probably people who have been victims of schools that have failed them…

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Wendy Guillies, Kauffman Foundation

Show ’em KC hustle! 1 Million Cups needs you to beat Fargo (Video)

By Tommy Felts / September 18, 2017

Nice shirts. Clever designs. The perfect mix of whimsy and irreverent wordplay. They’d fit in well among the Kansas City apparel scene. Except for one glaring snag: They’re brewed in Fargo. Yeah. That Fargo. And if you don’t want to see them on the backs of KC’s 1 Million Cups team, you’ll make plans to…

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women entrepreneurship

Women entrepreneurship: Miles to go and room to grow

By Tommy Felts / March 18, 2016

I am an unabashed coffee fan, but conflicting research on my favorite brew has both raised and dashed my hopes. One study reveals that my two-cups-a-day may increase longevity, while another points to an increased risk of heart disease. Sipping a cup recently while reviewing data on women-owned businesses and entrepreneurship, it occurred to me…

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Regional Roundup

Why coastal investors ignore the Midwest and what’s next for federal startup policy

By Tommy Felts / January 14, 2016

Here are this week’s watercooler conversation-starters on why inland states struggle to find funding, coming issues in federal entrepreneurship policy and the success of innovation districts that are cropping up around the U.S. (and in Kansas City).  More in this series here. International Business Times: Finding venture capital far from the coasts Of the $48.3…

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