Tag: kansas city

World Cup prep is writing KC’s history today, leaders say; here’s what they hope will be remembered after the games

admin — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:55:19 +0000

Twelve years later, Graham Zusi still gets choked up talking about the emotions he felt after the U.S. soccer team triumphed over Ghana in the FIFA World Cup, and he saw scenes of hometown fans celebrating in the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City.

From Homebase to homes of the future: Here’s how KC-connected Quext landed its GFiber partnership

admin — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:15:16 +0000

When Blake Miller talks about smart buildings, he isn’t theorizing from afar.

He’s tracing a line that runs straight through Kansas City — from early smart-city experiments and public Wi-Fi infrastructure to a new partnership with GFiber that aims to reshape how residents experience internet access and daily digital life inside apartment buildings.

Collaboration destination: Showcase reveals who’s arrived (and who’s getting on board), small biz owners say

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:24:27 +0000

Call it a rehearsal for World Cup, said Vicky Kulikov, drawing parallels between Wednesday’s small business showcase at Union Station and the opportunities ahead for Kansas City entrepreneurs hoping to shine a spotlight on their companies when international soccer fans arrive this summer.

MADE MOBB bags massive wholesale deal with Scheels; setting its sights on Midwest fit

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:31:10 +0000

MADE MOBB’s expansion throughout the Midwest — recently snaring two dozen big box sports store locations across 16 states — isn’t built on luck, said Mark Launiu. The brand hunted its own way to stand out in the crowd: and it starts with camo (that doesn’t blend in).

Parade of Hearts cheat code: All 150 hearts together for one day, then never again; here’s where you can find them

admin — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:20:14 +0000

A public unveiling of all 150 sculptures crafted for the 2026 Parade of Hearts — displayed together April 4 for one day only before being dispersed across the region — will mark the first glimpse of tech worker-turned-“Heartist” Luke Broste’s third piece in the wildly popular, sprawling Kansas City art installation.

Bracket bash races to halfcourt, cutting pitch competitors down to 16 Kansas startups

admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 22:47:49 +0000

The competition for $25,000 in startup capital is intensifying for more than a dozen Kansas entrepreneurs as a high-profile pitch event announced Wednesday that it had narrowed the field from 32 finalists to 16.

Ship with a smile: How SendBack is giving life in the face of a graveyard for returns

admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 22:48:57 +0000

Click “start return.” That’s where SendBack steps in.

The new-to-Kansas City startup built technology that catches a return the moment a shopper initiates it, explained founder Shaniqua Jones-Williams. Instead of automatically shipping it back to a warehouse, SendBack pauses the process and asks what actually makes sense — a refund, a discount to keep the item, a local donation or a closer reroute. The system weighs those options in real time, cutting down on waste and unnecessary shipping, she said.

She’s getting the empanadas ready for World Cup hunger: Here’s why Chef Silvia Miguel isn’t biting off more than she can chew

admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 22:34:48 +0000

Silvia Miguel plans to greet this summer’s visitors with a taste of home, the Argentine-born business owner said. As the FIFA World Cup arrives in the metro in the coming months, Miguel and her team at Pan Caliente are crafting new products and partnerships with an international crowd in mind.

UMKC venture challenge is adding to its prize pool: Wisdom from seasoned entrepreneurs

admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 22:22:54 +0000

A series of “Bloch Talks” during this spring’s Regnier Venture Creation Challenge at UMKC is adding even more depth to a popular university event that’s expected to award $180,000 to student and community entrepreneurs, said Bryan Boots.

French-Inspired Paris Baguette bakery sets timer for downtown KC opening; B&B shutters historic theater down the block

admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:55:23 +0000

As one high-profile set of doors closes, another is expected to open by year’s end, the Power & Light District announced Monday, teasing the late-2026 arrival of a viral scratch bakery that already has kneaded its way into Johnson County with immediate word-of-mouth success.

&tag you’re it: Digital ID aims to give back people’s control over their data, attention

admin — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 14:17:28 +0000

A Kansas City-built digital identity platform is launching streamlining technology to tackle what its founders see as a fundamental flaw of the world wide web: it was optimized for clicks, but never designed for the humans who use it.

It’s ‘the place that everyone wants to be’: Why Techstars could be back in KC for more than just hugs

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 20:33:55 +0000

Five years after Techstars left Kansas City, the global startup accelerator’s co-founder and CEO teased a comeback for the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“We’re going to try to figure out how to continue to be a part of the Kansas City startup community,” David Cohen told a crowd of founders, investors, advocates, and Techstars alumni Thursday at a Techstars x Firebrand Ventures Community Meetup.

Brick by brick, new memories are moving in: How this developer sees his generation living amid KC’s past

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 17:29:05 +0000

Whether it’s the $38 million overhaul of an iconic downtown Kansas City hotel, or reheating the future of an East Crossroads industrial space — think 8,000-square-foot rooftop bar atop a no-nonsense social club — Zach Molzer is building buzz, and tearing down walls.

Hack in traction: Startups learn hustle shortcode for winning customers, narrow focus

admin — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:07:38 +0000

Drilling into the customer profile for his startup — an AI-powered, curated swag marketplace aimed at early stage tech companies — Ivan Hadzhiev used tailored resources from Wichita-based NXTUS to validate a complaint keeping prospective partners from buying in.

Kitchen grit caramelizes into smooth storefront opportunity for soon-to-open candy shop

admin — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:00:47 +0000

The secret ingredient in Brandi Robertson’s signature sweet — a handcrafted take on her Grandmother Betty’s caramel dessert topping — isn’t found in the pantry or recipe box. Perseverance itself is the perfection within her confection, she said.

“If you are going to waste calories, it better be good,” said Robertson, who spent nearly a decade bringing her vision from a simmer to a boil — first as a retail operation in an Overland Park collective and soon a storefront in the former Bonsai Bowl restaurant at 8932 W. 95th St.