Funding Stories
Fund Me, KC: Tangible launching ‘magical pillow’ that shares physical touch with far-away loved ones
Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses or lend a helping hand to others. This is an opportunity for business owners and innovators — like Akshay Dinakar and the launch of his Tangible “magical pillow” — to share their crowdfunding stories and potentially gain…
LaunchKC shines spotlight on founders as first social venture studio cohort takes the stage
Tying Jerren Thornhill’s social venture to the footwear industry jogs a logical path, the founder said: re-selling used shoes was a $2 billion industry in 2021, and more importantly: “Kids love shoes.” His startup, One Pair — founded in 2020 to provide teenagers with a pathway to financial security through entrepreneurship while simultaneously minimizing their…
Pitches and peaches: Hy-Vee awards $30K piece of the $50K prize pie to family-run cobbler company
Denisha Jones sweetened Hy-Vee’s OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit and pitch competition this week with her ready-to-bake cobblers. Her pitch (and peaches) secured the $30,000 grand prize. “Every time Thanksgiving comes around, I always crave my grandmother’s cobbler. During the pandemic, I was unsuccessful in finding a cobbler as good as my grandmother’s, so I went…
Meet six newly funded startups Digital Sandbox KC is making more fundable tomorrow
Newly awarded funds are expected to help six more companies scale their fledgling startups past the proof-of-concept stage, said Jill Meyer, touting Digital Sandbox KC’s track record of making startups and their products more fundable once they’re built. “Digital Sandbox KC is one of the Kansas City metro’s rare early-stage funds and provides vital support…
Coming soon: 8 new tech startups set for ‘lucky No. 7’ Pure Pitch Rally spot-cash event
From nutrition to logistics, local entrepreneurs continue innovating solutions that could result in Kansas City’s next unicorn, said Karen Fenaroli. Eight such potentially game-changing tech startups are expected to showcase their ideas next month, she announced Tuesday. The seventh annual Pure Pitch Rally is set to return Oct. 17 at the Burns & McDonnell Global…
