Joyce Smith

Recent Articles by Joyce Smith

Entrepreneurship is the path to freedom; how Black business pioneers’ legacies still stand today

February 4, 2025

Editor’s note: The perspectives expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Brandon Calloway is CEO and Co-Founder of Generating Income For Tomorrow (G.I.F.T.), and now writes a weekly blog, The Equity Advocate. [divide] In the past eighteen months of traveling from city to city, I’ve made it a point to delve into the histories…

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‘It’s pretty gross’: Nearly 30,000 federal workers in Kansas City brace for layoffs

February 3, 2025

Editor’s note: This story was originally published by The Kansas City Beacon, a member of the KC Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story from The Kansas City Beacon, an online news outlet focused on local, in-depth journalism…

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KC welcomed Baba’s Pantry with open arms; now a family bakery shows off Palestinian treats

February 3, 2025

Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. [divide] After their cafe was named one of 2022’s best new restaurants by Bon Appetit magazine, the Kamal family is expanding…

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How Trump’s views on climate raise questions for Kansas’ biggest bet: a $4B Panasonic plant in De Soto

February 3, 2025

Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Kansas City PBS/Flatland, a member of the Kansas City Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, The Kansas City Beacon, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story. [divide] Headwinds don’t dampen enthusiasm of company executives, government officials The mammoth $4…

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Lula builds $28M round with bicoastal investor; plans deep expansion into new markets

February 3, 2025

Securing Lula’s Series A funding round is not only validation for the Kansas City proptech startup, Bo Lais said; the $28 million in capital means a greater opportunity to enhance the ecosystem for all of his company’s stakeholders, he added. The funding will allow Lula — a leading platform for streamlined property maintenance solutions and…

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Invary’s $3.5M seed round gives startup homefield advantage to rewrite the rules of cybersecurity

February 3, 2025

A $3.5 million seed round backed by two high-profile Kansas City funds is expected to help Invary redefine runtime security, said Jason Rogers, CEO of the Lawrence-based cybersecurity startup — making new funding headlines from within the KU Innovation Park. Invary — a pioneer in Runtime Integrity solutions built on NSA-licensed technology — announced the round…

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Closing KCK’s Black-owned coffee shop opens opportunity for Kinship to brew bigger, owner says

February 1, 2025

When TJ Roberts posted on social media about closing Kinship Cafe, a Black-owned coffee shop in Kansas City’s Strawberry Hill neighborhood, he was surprised by the outpouring of support — a morale boost that not only gives him the spirit to keep fighting for the business, but expand it, he said. “When we posted about…

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Kansas brothers launch speedy trial for app that eases reentry for the wrongfully incarcerated 

January 31, 2025

Podcast host-turned-innovator Dylan Carnahan is a man built for talking, he said, but there’s a time when words aren’t enough — when action is needed in the face of injustice. For Carnahan and his brother, that moment is now. “While media spreads awareness, software facilitates action,” said Carnahan, teasing the tech he’s developing alongside Alex…

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Restaurant’s nostalgia is only part of it’s recipe: How Paul’s Drive In sizzled a community staple by ‘doing good first’

January 31, 2025

Editor’s note: The following story was written and first published by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri (EDCKC). Click here to read the original story. [divide] In the heart of South Kansas City, Paul’s Drive In on Blue Ridge Blvd has been a cherished staple since the 1960s. Through ups and downs —…

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Meet six coalitions earning grants through Kauffman Foundation’s new ‘Collective Impact’ funding pathway

January 31, 2025

Systemic change happens when communities come together to drive transformation through collaboration, said Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, announcing a half-dozen grants to high-capacity organizations with strategies to close economic mobility gaps in the Kansas City region. The “Collective Impact” planning grants of up to $500,000 are awarded to the winning coalitions are the first piece of…

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