Matthew Gwin
Recent Articles by Matthew Gwin
$60K in pitch competition winnings will help Black-owned businesses drive employment, book purchases
The owner of a mobile phlebotomy company took home the $30,000 grand prize at Friday’s We Are Black pitch competition — the first such event organized by Kansas City G.I.F.T. LaVita Green said the funding and resources from G.I.F.T. will help Caresticks Mobile Phlebotomy, which provides patients with on-site and mobile phlebotomy services, to grow…
‘Return of the Shihan’ live screening just a teaser, says filmmaker who wants KC to build its own Hollywood
Kansas City’s “first superhero” is set to debut on the big screen for a live audience Saturday evening at the Gem Theater — the first installment of a planned “Return of the Shihan” TV series from local filmmaker Victor Wilson, Jr. Wilson — better known to many by his alter ego “Pudgy PoKCettz” — created…
She started by getting Black art into Black spaces; now Natasha Ria El-Scari wants all of KC to know what they’ve been missing
A Renaissance woman, Natasha Ria El-Scari — gallerist, curator, poet, spoken word performer, educator, and life coach — has surrounded herself with art throughout her life. However, as the Kansas City native watched her hometown’s art scene flourish and thrive, she noticed not everyone was included. “As the city started to change, and the Crossroads…
Shocked by a discovery while pregnant, this entrepreneur vowed to make self-care products from ingredients safe enough to eat
‘I might as well make my own’ Jess Winns, founder of Ari Rose Body Care, had always been pretty conscious of what she and her three daughters put into and onto their bodies, she said. However, as she researched more about holistic wellness while pregnant with her second daughter, Winns read about how more than…
GIFT launches We Are Black pitch competition with 10 entrepreneurs vying for $60K
Editor’s note: Kansas City G.I.F.T. is a non-financial partner of Startland News. Ten Black-owned Kansas City businesses are expected to pitch March 24 for their share of $60,000 at what organizers hope will become an annual event that helps to close the funding gap for entrepreneurs of color. The We Are Black pitch competition is…
M25 drops Midwest Madness bracket for best startup hub: 4-seed KC faces up-hill battle (Here’s how to vote)
Bracket update: Since this story’s original publication, Kansas City has advanced to the Midwest Madness bracket’s Round of 32. Voting on Kansas City’s next match-up — against 5-seed Lafayette, Indiana — begins Tuesday, March 21. As sports fans fill out March Madness brackets this week, a Chicago-based venture capital firm is encouraging Midwestern founders, investors…
Menswear in motion: Designer brings ‘specific’ eye, new runway show to KC fashion scene
A self-taught Kansas City fashion designer will bring his signature menswear line to a runway tailored just for men later this month, he shared, hosting an event that he characterized as a celebration of menswear. Mid-West Men’s Fashion Week (MWMFW) is set for March 24-26 at Audi Shawnee Mission in Merriam, according to Christian Shuster,…
Sisters open Lao-Thai kitchen in KC’s Crossroads, but to taste their laab beef, you’ll have to order from the cloud
A sister-led Lao and Thai food restaurant in the Crossroads hopes to deliver an authentic taste of southeast Asian culture to Kansas City. Among its first challenges: picking which family recipes win a spot on the menu. Nang Nang Lao-Thai opened in late February at the Crossroads Food Stop, a “cloud kitchen” with 10 local…
This startup designed roads that pay for themselves (and charge your electric vehicle while driving)
Longtime Kansas City startup Integrated Roadways is earning recognition for the company’s plans to transform roads into “smart roads” by embedding digitally connected technology directly into the pavement — coming soon to Lenexa City Center. Called the smart pavement system, Integrated Roadways’ patented precast concrete pavement slabs provide Internet connection and sensing technology to vehicles driving…
‘Shark Tank’ sets stage for Bryght Labs’ new smart play product rollout amid MO funding uptick
Fresh off a successful appearance on “Shark Tank,” Olathe-based connected gaming startup Bryght Labs hopes to capitalize on that exposure to build momentum, said founder and CEO Jeff Wigh. Wigh and co-founder Adam Roush were featured on an episode that aired in December, pitching their product ChessUp, a patented chess board that uses AI technology…