Tag: kansas city

How a toy car can recapture a moment (and put a little cash in this student’s pocket)

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 18:23:25 +0000

Collecting toys is in Andrew Bates’ blood, the UMKC senior said — and now it’s in his wallet.

A supply chain management student at the university, Bates was exposed to the hunt for nostalgia early, he said; his father was snagging Hot Wheels for him before Bates was born.

“I was (slow) to embrace it,” the founder of Flame N’ Go Collectibles said of collecting toy cars. “But then I saw the money that could be involved with it, and thought ‘OK, these are actually kind of cool.’”

Support without limits: Doctor duo flexes scrub design that’s a dream for women, mothers-to-be

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 17:14:37 +0000

A pair of Kansas City doctors diagnosed a chronic need in maternity and versatility care for women — turning to entrepreneurship to prescribe “bump to pump” comfort and flexibility through a new line of scrubs.

“Being physicians, we want to continue to help people,” said Dr. Christine Khong, who co-founded Vervee Scrubs alongside Dr. Melanie Camejo. “And it really came from a place of need.”

Startup Weekend’s challenge: Build Missouri’s next billion-dollar idea (in three days)

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 15:49:36 +0000

COLUMBIA, Missouri — Budding entrepreneurs are gathering next month for a three-day business pitch event that could earn them $45,000 in prizes plus a $150,000 investment opportunity for the winning company with billion-dollar potential, organizers said.

Lawmaker asks SBA to relocate offices from KC to Columbia, citing sanctuary-like policies for immigrants

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 20:24:28 +0000

A Kansas City-area congressman wants the U.S. Small Business Administration to move its offices from downtown Kansas City to central Missouri, amid President Trump’s nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigrants and a broad restructuring of how the federal government works.

Midwest-focused M25 rolls out new venture partners across region, adding high-profile STL founder

admin — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 19:53:14 +0000

CHICAGO — An influential venture capital firm with portfolio companies in Kansas City and across the region on Thursday announced a St. Louis serial entrepreneur as the latest venture partner joining its mission to back a new generation of Midwest unicorns.

Yard Milkshake Bar set to open Friday in long-vacant BK Whopper Bar at Power & Light

admin — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:05:14 +0000

Kansas City is gaining a new sweet spot as the acclaimed dessert startup The Yard Milkshake Bar opens its first metro location this week in the Power & Light District — filling a long-standing hunger for the right flavor of business at PNC Plaza.

Physician assistant, mom juggles healthy challenge: opening two Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchises

admin — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 18:18:22 +0000

A new Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchisee is opening not one, but two locations this spring — all while keeping her day job and raising twin 4-year-olds.

Roster filled: 32 Kansas startups march into Round 2 of tourney-style pitch competition

admin — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:47:15 +0000

WICHITA — Nearly three dozen Sunflower State startups are vying for $20,000 in prize money — and courting the attention of investors — as they advance to the second round of an innovative, state-backed pitch competition set amid the excitement of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Randy Wasinger wanted the 1952 Topps of NFTs; so the lifelong baseball card collector started coding (and Mark Cuban came calling)

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 21:07:02 +0000

Editor’s note: The following includes excerpts from “The Corporate Couch” podcast as part of a collaboration between host Jeff Pelaccio and Startland News to highlight Web3 companies and founders in the space.

The 15-year-old boy within Randy Wasinger — so obsessed with baseball cards that he opened a card shop in downtown Russell, Kansas, to sell them — is still collecting, the CryptoSlam co-founder said, detailing the passion that shaped his jump into the digital world of NFTs.

Transportant picked a lane; now the Lenexa bus tech startup wants to conquer even more of the road

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 18:00:05 +0000

From the driver’s seat, Martin Staples is steering Lenexa-based Transportant toward rapid growth with its real-time, tech-driven approach, he said, bringing greater safety, communication, and efficiency to school buses and expanding the startup’s reach beyond its Midwest home region.

Pitch winners step into spotlight as PHKC helps emerging small biz owners shine on stage (Photos)

admin — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 22:02:04 +0000

Jacquinta Nelson stood before a packed crowd at The Porter House KC’s Pitch Night this week, sharing her vision for S.T.E.P. Movement, a community-based step team designed to uplift young girls. Moments later, she was awarded a $4,000 grand prize.

What comes after the World Cup? Leaders ponder KC’s next phase (and how to get there)

admin — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 19:56:31 +0000

EDCKC leader: Tapping Kansas City’s full potential requires coordinated eco devo strategy across region

Tracey Lewis has lived and worked in some of the nation’s biggest cities — experiencing enough to know that the window of opportunity to drive meaningful economic change can be remarkably small, he said.

Kansas City’s time to act is now, Lewis said emphatically.

Clock is ticking on World Cup 2026: Small businesses urged to prepare before this buzzer-beater

admin — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 19:34:12 +0000

A massive influx of visitors are expected next year when more than 600,000 fans descend on Kansas City for its piece of the FIFA World Cup 2026 prize, but potential roadblocks lie ahead for small business owners who are waiting for the action instead of preparing now to capitalize on it, said local leaders.

Why KCMO pushed to lock down ‘Kansas City’ brand ahead of its biggest sports event yet

admin — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 18:58:35 +0000

With World Cup visitors already eyeing plane tickets to Kansas City for matches opening in June 2026, clarity around what constitutes “Kansas City” will be key, said Quinton Lucas, who in late 2024 made moves to restrict labeling the city’s name on certain projects.

The effort aims to authentically represent KCMO on the world’s stage, the mayor’s office said. And it could play a role in how entities across the region present themselves as an estimated 600,000 soccer fans descend on the metro.

$20M project expected to remove key barrier to unlocking 18th & Vine vibrancy: parking

admin — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 18:28:19 +0000

It’s more than just a parking garage, said Pat Jordan, revealing a plan to develop a state-of-the-art, transit-oriented parking facility in the heart of the historic 18th & Vine District is about opening a gateway to the entertainment and cultural hub.