Tommy Felts

Opening the extended KC Streetcar line Friday completes a loop for creatives whose collaborations with the popular public transit system first emerged nearly a decade ago along Main Street — a time when Kansas City’s surging vibrancy helped curb streetcar doubters.

A trio of innovation-infused collaborators are taking over Knuckleheads — an East Bottoms landmark that perfectly captures the region’s grit, creativity and unmistakable live music vibe, organizers said — for a new community event to help launch MidxMidwest 2025.

Applications are now open for grants of up to $10,000 for businesses and artists who want to activate underutilized or vacant commercial spaces in the downtown area during the coming FIFA World Cup to showcase Kansas City’s entrepreneurial spirit. 

When Global Entrepreneurship Week pulls into the station later this fall, Kansas City participants can expect a fresh experience inside one of the region’s most iconic landmarks, said Callie England, noting an intentional effort behind the scenes should help reroute the “best of the best” events onto custom agendas.

Earning the top social entrepreneurship award from UMKC is more than just the greatest recognition Father Justin Mathews has ever received, the faith leader-turned-community innovator said; it’s validation that work to heal Kansas City’s racial and economic divide is as critical as wealth creation elsewhere in the metro.

Kansas City sports tech innovator Noonan’s latest big swing sees the startup paired with a major industry player whose homegrown headquarters exercises its domination in the wearables market from just a few miles down I-35 in Johnson County.

A newly published mini-guide to Black-owned arts and entertainment venues across Kansas City is expected to push community members deeper into the metro’s rich Black business ecosystem, said Brandon Calloway, highlighting a range of cultural and nightlife destinations.

A tax fix included in the recently signed “One Big Beautiful Bill” — sprawling legislation meant to overhaul taxes in the United States — marks a major win for Kansas City’s tech and innovation economy, said Kara Lowe.

Consolidating five locations into a single, state-of-the-art Kansas City campus means Master’s Transportation — a leading provider of commercial buses and vans — will relocate 130 Missouri employees to its new headquarters, with plans to expand to 250 by the end of the year, the company said.

It’s rare for a regional venture capital firm like KCRise Fund to invest in an entrepreneur just out of college, the Midwest-focused firm told Startland News, detailing the remarkable talent that led it to join an early round for Joseph Tutera’s digital health startup.