Funding Stories

JE Dunn Site 1001

JE Dunn leads $5M round in a local, ‘skunkworks’ tech spinout

One of Kansas City’s top corporations has led a $5 million investment round in a local tech firm that helps manage the torrents of paperwork associated with building maintenance and management. Kansas City-based JE Dunn led the Series A round in Site 1001, a software company that spun out of the construction giant to digitize…

Darcy Howe

KCRise fund lands $10M to kickoff startup investing

Kansas City-area startups have a new, local fund to boost their investment rounds. The KCRise fund announced Thursday the closing of $10 million that will co-invest with institutional venture capital groups in early-stage companies based in the Kansas City area. Launched in February in conjunction with the KC Rising economic initiative, the fund was created…

Olathe partnership bears fruit in latest Digital Sandbox cohort

With the buzz of Techweek KC still in the air, Kansas City-based incubator Digital Sandbox reveals the four new startups in their program. Directed by Jeff Shackleford, Digital Sandbox invests up to $25,000 in area companies and provides proof-of-concept resources. Launching in 2013, the incubator has worked with over 300 entrepreneurs and early stage companies…

Meet Techweek Kansas City’s 2016 LaunchKC winners

After a morning evaluating 20 pitches at Union Station, a panel of LaunchKC judges revealed the 10 startups that each snagged a $50,000 grant. LaunchKC — which distributes $500,000 via 10, $50,000 non-dilutive grants — drew more than 400 tech startup applicants for the second year in a row. The 20 finalists included 11 from…

Mycroft raises $335K for artificial intelligence platform

Weeks after becoming a finalist in the LaunchKC grants competition, Lawrence-based startup Mycroft is riding a hot streak with the closing of its angel investment round. Mycroft — which developed an open-source, artificial intelligence device similar to Amazon Echo — recently raised $335,000 from Kansas City’s Northland Angel Investor Network and Star Power Partners. An affiliate…