Funding Stories
KC Cajun chef brings plans for east side restaurant to a boil with help of $22K grant
Opening a restaurant doesn’t happen overnight; it takes planning, hours of hard work, a good team, and solid funding, said Esra England — the head chef and founder of KC Cajun. “I knew opening a restaurant was a strategic move, and everything needed to be calculated,” explained England, who increased his business’ sales by 500…
Investors swarm to TripleBlind’s $8.2M rapid seed round as ‘deep tech’ changes face of privacy
An oversubscribed $8.2 million seed round means one thing for Kansas City-based TripleBlind: its data privacy solution is of critical importance, the rapidly scaling startup announced Monday. Its slate of new and returning investors agree. “TripleBlind will enable our joint customers in regulated industries to leverage enterprise data that today goes largely untapped due to…
‘A critical lifeline’: EDCKC grants $80K to Black-led non-profits impacted by COVID-19
Relief grants from a leading economic development initiative are as much about building momentum as surviving the pandemic, said Nika Cotton, emphasizing Troost as a good place to start. Cotton, owner of the Soulcentricitea tea shop at 30th Street and Troost Avenue, is using a $5,000 award from the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City,…
How early-stage Missouri tech startups could score co-investment funds up to $500K
One of Kansas City startups’ biggest boosters is still in business, despite its imperiled state funding amid ongoing COVID-era budget decision-making. The Missouri Technology Corporation announced this week it’s accepting applications for two IDEA Fund co-investment programs — TechLaunch and Seed Capital — that have historic impacts on local founders. “MTC’s co-investment programs were developed…
No promo codes needed: How two Brits and their KC startup are adding instant discounts to your shopping cart
When restaurants and retailers shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many of their customer loyalty programs did too, leaving frequent shoppers empty handed, explained Jordan Williams. “I had a $200 Southwest Airlines voucher and 6000-plus Chipotle restaurant points expire,” Williams said, detailing a pandemic-presented problem that finds its solution in his newly-launched startup: Veeper. The platform…
