Meghan LeVota
Recent Articles by Meghan LeVota
How Meshuggah Bagels and Ruby Jean’s Juicery dealt with rapid growth
Imagine this. It’s opening day at your quaint cafe and you hope Kansas Citians like your bagels. It turns out they do — a whole lot. So much in fact that the line spills out the door for the next few weeks, spurring demand that’s more than 300 percent higher than anticipated. Pair that challenge…
Events Preview: KC Roundtable, 1MC is back
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Weekly Events Preview Startup Rewind When: Jan. 4, 7:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Where: Deer Creek Golf Club The Startup Rewind is a…
Missouri job growth among the best in the U.S.
Missouri job growth among the best in the U.S. In 2016, the Show Me State gained 57,100 jobs — a figure that topped all 8 of Missouri’s neighboring states. In addition to job growth, Missouri’s unemployment rate decreased .4 percent during the past month, according to a recent report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor…
‘Nerds’ want to retool Kansas City nonprofits’ websites
‘Tis the season to help your fellow man — and their website. That seems to be the driving force behind a volunteer-led program to improve the digital presence of several Kansas City nonprofits. The Nerdery and its foundation will host the Overnight Website Challenge, which over the years has tapped hundreds of volunteers to complete…
Sustainable apartments in KC’s River Market will be among the world’s largest ‘passive houses’
The future of sustainable real estate development may be taking shape in Kansas City. The $60 million, 276-unit Second and Delaware project aims to not only be one of most environmentally conscious residential buildings but also a global example in sustainable housing, said Jonathan Arnold, CEO of Arnold Development Group. The Arnold Development Group along…
Victor Hwang, city leaders challenge the area’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
In partnership with Think Big Partners, the Innovation Exchange offers Kansas Citians context and behind-the-scenes details on newsmakers in the area entrepreneurial ecosystem. This month, area leaders — including the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s vice president of entrepreneurship Victor Hwang — discussed what’s on the horizon for Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. If you missed the…
Seven local tech startups bring their innovations to KCMO
After 12 weeks of civic innovation, Kansas City’s Innovation Partnership Program culminated Tuesday with a demo day showcasing its seven participating startups. Launched in 2015, IPP pairs area startups with a department in the City of Kansas City, Mo. to not only identify new efficiencies but also offer the firm a chance to earn business…
Kauffman to host national summit on how to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem
A national summit on how to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem is coming to Kansas City. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation announced Wednesday that it will host the national ESHIP Summit in June of 2017. The invite-only ESHIP Summit will bring together entrepreneurial ecosystem builders, allies and stakeholders from across the nation to collaborate for an economic…
Events Preview: Chat with Victor Hwang, Municipal Innovation
There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Weekly Events Preview Innovation Exchange When: Dec. 14, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Where: Think Big Coworking Rarely are all the facts…
Ag venture group TechAccel invests $250K in research partnership
A new partnership will advance agricultural innovation in the state of Missouri. TechAccel, a Kansas City-based technology and venture development firm, recently announced it will work with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, a St. Louis-based nonprofit research institute. TechAccel will provide $250,000 in grants to the Danforth Center to help it demonstrate proof of…