Tag: Mike Rollen

Black farmers are losing ground in the fight to feed their communities, advocates say

By Tommy Felts / March 27, 2025

More than a century of systemic land dispossession and discriminatory practices has left Black farmers with less than 0.6 percent of U.S. farmland — less than a third of the 16 million acres they operated in 1910, according to local urban farming advocates.  They gathered Tuesday at Independence Boulevard Christian Church to confront this history…

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Pitch prize puts founders closer to building their utopia; How KCMO is backing entrepreneurs who do the right thing

By Tommy Felts / July 26, 2024

Hearing the personal reasons behind judges’ support for her business at the “Do The Right Thing” social impact pitch competition provides much-needed validation for Utopia Point, said Shereese Hameed-Muhammad. The business — launched by Patricia McCreary and Hameed-Muhammad to redesign the geriatric and disabled care community in Kansas City and beyond — was the overwhelming favorite…

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Madoka Koguchi and Jackie Nguyen, Cafe Cà Phê; 2021 AltCap Your Biz grand prize winner

KC’s first Vietnamese coffee shop brews $20K at AltCap Your Biz; other winners include an urban farm, development company and selfie studio

By Tommy Felts / November 11, 2021

Cafe Cà Phê can now afford to build bathrooms in its anticipated brick-and-mortar coffee location, Jackie Nguyen teased on Instagram after being awarded the grand prize at the 2021 AltCap Your Biz: Pitch Competition. “The $20,000 will go toward helping build that out — getting new appliances, [hiring] new employees because we’ve outgrown our cart.…

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Fresh Factory KC, India Wells-Carter; Cafe Cà Phê, Jackie Nguyen; Heart and Seoul, Rachel Cayetano; Peak Roofing - Mechanical, Jade Teixeira

Meet 10 finalists for AltCap Your Biz pitch payout; competition returns during GEW KC

By Tommy Felts / October 19, 2021

A diverse group of nearly a dozen small businesses are advancing to the next round of the annual AltCap Your Biz: Pitch Competition with finalists ranging from a mobile vegan soul food service to a Northland selfie experience. The “Closing the Deal” live pitch event showcases the 10 best concepts from a pool of 43…

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