Matthew Gwin

Funding from the SSBCI — an outgrowth of the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan — has been a key variable across startup ecosystems as states allocate the resources from the federal government differently, Victor Gutwein noted in the M25 analysis.

David Dastmalchian’s screenplays for movies set in Kansas City now have a realistic chance to be filmed in and around his hometown, said the acclaimed actor, writer, and producer who grew up in Overland Park.

A Kansas City nonprofit is training local artists — musicians, poets, playwrights, actors, and comedians — on the intersection of art and public policy, hoping to create a generation of creatives ready to advocate for their communities.

A Kansas City-based entrepreneur wants to prove how everyone — from athletes to individuals suffering from chronic health conditions — can benefit from CBD, he said.

“Brewers and breweries are not usually recognized as being part of the scientific industry, which is a major bummer, because we are a major part of it,” said Jenna Muñoz of Boulevard Brewing. “A lot of the stuff we do on a daily basis involves biologics, microbiology, physics. Everybody thinks we just drink beer all day."

The connection between two of Lucas Thompson’s City Market businesses — KC Soda Co. and the freshly opened Fountain City Scoops and Floats — provides the perfect opportunity to blend soda and ice cream, he said.

The organization’s newly launched work with Pepper signals Endeavor Heartland’s interest in further collaboration with other later-stage scalable companies in Kansas City, said leaders of its Northwest Arkansas-based operation.

Brush Creek will put teams of professionals and other competitors to the test this weekend as Kansas City’s annual dragon boat race returns to the Country Club Plaza. For at least one crew, the waterway will become a lab of sorts — with leaders evaluating their teamwork and collaboration skills.

“I like art’s ability to express things really clearly, but also with the level of complexity that comes with things not having a true answer,” said Jared Horman. “Art doesn’t necessarily have to be an answer so much as it gives space to be a question, and show people that these are things that other people are thinking about as well.”

“Being socially mission-driven is not mutually exclusive to making money,” Darcy Howe told budding, would-be founders — encouraging them to think about ways they can effectively scale their ideas, drawing on KCRise Fund’s model for social entrepreneurship.