Startups Stories
KC founder’s hip hop edtech app for children, families earns earns $50K in 5G innovation competition
A grants program focused on boosting social entrepreneurs — traditionally underfunded women and persons of color — who are using 5G wireless innovation to address pressing community challenges this week awarded a $50,000 prize to Kansas City startup Healthy Hip Hop for its work on child literacy. Catalyst — a competitive grants initiative by the Washington,…
Aussie tech company with KC HQ closes $112M round to scale its global expansion, AI innovation
As global technology company SafetyCulture closes another massive funding round, Kansas City — its largest market and biggest opportunity — stands primed for continued investment at the firm’s U.S. headquarters in the Crossroads Arts District. SafetyCulture on Tuesday announced a $112 million round — which values the Sydney, Australia-based workforce operations company at $1.7 billion —…
MyAnIML earns NSF funding, patent; now facing new phase of growth with industry validation
Thanks to a recent federal grant — along with a newly secured patent on its first-of-its-kind, proprietary facial recognition tech for cows — MyAnIML is proving its place as a leader within a herd of ag innovation, Shekhar Gupta said. The Overland Park startup received a 250,000 Phase I grant from the National Science Foundation…
M25 rankings: Startup hubs are slowing; why KC could be losing ground to Midwest neighbors
Kansas City’s startup scene is walking a fine line between flat and stagnant, said Victor Gutwein, teasing caution and other insights into KC’s No. 11 ranking — a position it’s held since 2022 — on M25’s latest Midwest startup cities list. “We’re seeing fewer startups (registered in our datasource Pitchbook) than we used to in Kansas…
Kansas City entrepreneurs chosen for startup competition focused on health tech
WICHITA — Health innovation is a global priority, said organizers of the latest NXTSTAGE cohort, announcing nearly a dozen finalists and solutions hailing from Kansas City to France. Ten companies were selected for the 2024 NXTSTAGE Community Health and Vibrancy Pilot Competition, presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS). Finalists include startups working to…
