Tag: SourceLink

Kansas City ESO icon Maria Meyers championed for bringing SourceLink to the world stage

By Tommy Felts / June 20, 2025

A decades-long effort to grow inclusive entrepreneurial communities by strengthening access to critical resources began as a grassroots movement in Kansas City, said Maria Meyers, whose work recently earned her global recognition — and a rare honor in recent years for an American recipient. Meyers, the founder of SourceLink — a first-of-its-kind platform boasting more…

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$250K node grant expected to fund AI upgrade at KCSourceLink, part-time navigators for PHKC, Square One, The Toolbox

By Tommy Felts / August 29, 2024

A hefty new grant is expected to build upon a community collaboration’s framework to help small businesses start and grow over the next five to 10 years in the Kansas City area. The goal: better access to diverse resources for local entrepreneurs. The Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) earlier this month announced a $250,000 regional node…

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Chef Zaid Renato Consuegra Sauza of Pirate’s Bone Burgers pivoted in the face of the pandemic, turning his original dine-in concept into a carryout-only model; photo courtesy of Pirate's Bone Burgers

Survival rates for new biz in MO, KS lag national average; What’s getting in their way?

By Tommy Felts / May 26, 2022

Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by Flatland, the digital magazine of Kansas City PBS and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for the weekly Flatland email newsletter. Colorful balloons, ribbons, unlimited drinks, food and of course music. There was everything at the ribbon cutting…

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Sam Yates and Chris Meier, Yup Yup Design Studio; Photo by Ann Millington Photography

Report: UMKC Innovation Center helped create 500 new ventures, boost revenue by $245M in 2020

By Tommy Felts / April 26, 2021

Amid a year of pandemic-prompted chaos in the business community, entrepreneurs forged ahead like rarely before seen, according to the UMKC Innovation Center’s new impact report, which details outcomes of the Kansas City-based resource network’s programming opportunities. “These entrepreneurs and leaders are our clients, our inspiration and our hope,” said Maria Meyers, executive director at…

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UMKC celebrates Maria Meyers for driving social entrepreneurship, ecosystem building in KC

By Tommy Felts / November 16, 2019

Kansas City’s most tenacious advocate, Maria Meyers has built far more than a legacy for herself, proclaimed Mary Bloch. “I first met Maria Meyers in the mid-90s when we were both involved in the renovation of Union Station,” Bloch, civic leader and daughter-in-law of H&R Bloch founder Henry W. Bloch, said as she recognized Meyers,…

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