Channa Steinmetz and Tommy Felts
Recent Articles by Channa Steinmetz and Tommy Felts
Meet the KC Chamber’s Top 10 for 2022: One will be the next ‘Small Business of the Year’
From a rapidly expanding restaurant chain to a 24/7 daycare facility to a workforce training and information technology leader building a statewide footprint, the finalists for the 2022 Small Business of the Year award run the gamut of forward-thinking Kansas City ventures, said Joe Reardon. “Every year I become more and more impressed with our…
Small Business Superstars in photos: When people belong, ‘the possibilities are endless’
Editor’s note: The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is a non-financial partner of Startland News, which serves as the media partner for the Small Business Superstars program. A celebration Wednesday for the Chamber’s new class of Small Business Superstars came with a message for entrepreneurs of all kinds, said Vicky Kulikov. You belong. “That…
Their exclusive Chiefs hoodies sold out in less than three hours; How you can snag a tee before it’s too late
Chiefs playoffs tickets might be the hottest-selling item in town, but there’s a close second. Lines started forming at 4 p.m. Friday outside MADE MOBB’s headquarters in the Crossroads as fans eagerly awaited the release of the premier KC streetwear brand’s exclusive post-season collaboration with the Kansas City Chiefs. And the crowds didn’t let up…
MADE MOBB remix: How the KC streetwear kings’ Chiefs collab takes their grind to the gridiron
The postseason pairing of Kansas City’s premier streetwear brand and its most celebrated sports franchise is a dream come true — one years in the making for longtime fans and co-founders Vu Radley and Mark Launiu. “I’m glad it happened now, because after nine years of doing this, we are ready,” said Radley, describing MADE…
Why mental health took the runway before a single model walked The Kritiq’s largest fashion show yet
If speaking openly about mental health isn’t already part of the culture, you have to put it in the spotlight, said Mark Launiu, detailing why his recent fashion show offered the best runway to address a silent epidemic within underserved communities. “You can’t reach a destination if you’re not mentally ready for the journey. I’m…
Just funded: Sharks, crowd salute veteran-led tech newcomer with $32K in Pure Pitch Rally checks
A fresh face to the startup stage, Zachary Oshinbanjo left Monday’s Pure Pitch Rally with the most-funded venture of the event — taking home more than a third of the day’s nearly $90,000 in cash prizes. A U.S. Army veteran, Oshinbanjo pitched “land sharks” on Vetelligence — a tech platform that aims to create a…
Chatbots to wedding insurance: Meet the four premium InsurTech startups selected for KC’s bcp tech accelerator
Four of the industry’s most-promising seed stage startups — an international mix of insurtech solutions — are expected to be the beneficiaries of Kansas City’s extensive insurance expertise, explained Nathan Kurtz, announcing the second cohort of the LaunchKC-backed bcp tech InsurTech accelerator. “We are very insurance focused,” said Kurtz, COO of Brush Creek Partners (bcp). “And there’s…
Techstars’ summer finale means closing investment rounds for founders, says KC leader
Demo day is as much about looking forward as it is an examination of a startup’s journey through Techstars, Maria Flynn said, teasing new dollar deals ahead for the 2021 Kansas City cohort. “There are already a number of investment commitments coming in, so we are focused on closing the investment rounds so the companies…
Far from fenced-in city life: Rural Missouri camel rancher takes a trail less ridden
After 35-plus years ranching camels at the foot of the Ozarks, Rod Malchow expressed no regrets about spending more than half his life with exotic animals on a remote Missouri farm — often seeing only his wife, sister and neighbors unless traveling to events offering camel rides. “If I fell over dead tomorrow, I’d have…