Startups Stories

UMKC pitch contest returning with $90K in prizes; spots remain for emerging startups

The 2023 edition of the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge (RVCC), an annual pitch competition hosted by UMKC, is expected to award $90,000 in equity-free funding to student entrepreneurs and Kansas City businesses. Ben Williams, managing director at the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, shared his excitement for this year’s event — set for April…

How ‘raving fans’ in small town Kansas built this govtech startup’s sales funnel

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to Entrepreneurial Growth Ventures (EGV), a business unit of NetWork Kansas supporting innovative, high-growth entrepreneurs in the State of Kansas. MANHATTAN, Kansas — A trio of govtech…

Royals announce gaming partnership with KC’s premier esports org: We share the same DNA

The Kansas City Royals on Monday announced a partnership with one of the fastest-growing esports organizations in North America: the Kansas City Pioneers. Among the first partnerships of its kind in the MLB, the move represents an opportunity to connect two passionate fan bases — baseball fans and fans of gaming, the Royals said in…

SafetyCulture taps chair of Tesla’s board of directors as KC-rooted scaleup eyes new growth phase

Robyn Denholm brings a wealth of senior-level tech experience, leadership, and advocacy to SafetyCulture’s board of directors, the company said Monday, noting Denholm’s role as a leading voice calling for more diversity in the sector. SafetyCulture, a $2.2 billion Australian scaleup, houses its U.S. headquarters in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District, where it has been…

Remote control cattle: Virtual fencing tech reduces herds’ carbon hoofprint, puts rancher pain points out to pasture

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. LINCOLN, Nebraska — Corral Technologies is taking cattle control virtual, founder Jack Keating shared. Using satellite maps and solar collars, the agtech startup offers a virtual fencing system to help…