Follow the funding that fuels Kansas City’s growth.
Stay up to date on the investments, grants and funding announcements supporting local startups, entrepreneurs and innovative ideas across the region.
Missouri-built autonomous railcars deploying to Columbia tracks in $16.2M federal tech test
A project meant to demonstrate the viability of autonomous freight railcars along the more than 600 short lines across the U.S. is rolling forward thanks to a $16.2 million federal grant connecting TugVolt technology to Missouri’s Columbia Terminal Railroad (COLT).
Winning element: KU-linked startup mines critical spot-cash support at Pure Pitch Rally
Bri Farris was a little surprised at the backing — and stack of novelty checks — given to Electravera at Monday’s Pure Pitch Rally, she said, even though her startup’s innovative electrochemical process to recover high-purity lithium and cobalt derivatives tracks well with the region’s momentum around critical materials.
How a $10K Folklore grant bloomed at just the right moment for this struggling small business
After her Bloom With Love flower shop flooded in summer 2025, an unexpected grant win from the Folklore initiative served as a sign from the universe to keep going, Olivia Esquivel shared. Her store is now flowering along the KC Streetcar line with new opportunities.
Emerging KC startup Treso raises $3.75M to simplify complex healthcare transactions
Physician practices are expected to run complex businesses, said Ryan Greenhaw, but they’ve been left to piece their finances together on their own — often with tools that are too expensive or disconnected to justify the investment. A new platform backed by KCRise Fund could fill that gap.
Registering momentum: Pitch winner gains traction with care support tech platform
The winning company at Thursday’s Square One small business pitch competition continues to evolve as audiences — along with patients, caregivers, and partners — get a closer look at the Kansas City-built tech platform’s personalized support registries and guided planning, said Amy Steinhour.
Just funded: Digital Sandbox KC awards $160K+ to eight emerging tech startups
Boosting innovators with up to $20,000 in proof-of-concept support can be the catalyst for a company surviving to see its next stage of growth, said Kayla Anderson, announcing eight newly funded startups that are joining the ranks of Digital Sandbox KC.
Innovative leader wins Kauffman’s $75K prize: KC is stronger when it rallies together, school founder says
Accepting the first-ever Kauffman Uncommon Leader Visionary Award, Tysie McDowell pointed to the team who helped her build Crossroads Charter Schools — and challenged those gathered in celebration of her Thursday to create legacies of their own.
3 local startups advance in national pitch bout
Three startups from Kansas are among the semifinalists in a competition to snag $10,000 from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Kauffman Foundation’s One in a Million contest announced Wednesday 15 semifinalists from 12 states. Semifinalists will travel to Kansas City during Global Entrepreneurship Week for a chance to become one of five finalists for…
(S)heStarts: How demographics affect views of your pitch
Welcome to our new series exploring news and views on men, women, start-ups and the entrepreneurial experience. In July of 2015, Startland News collaborated with WhiteSpace Consulting to conduct a whiteboard conversation with women entrepreneurs in the Kansas City region. Women entrepreneurs shared their perceptions about launching and leading companies, and identified topics for ongoing…
Summer fundin’ — it happened so fast
Kansas City startups snagged a load of capital over the summer. Often earmarked for product development, hiring or both, the funds represent new injections of capital that startups hope will boost their businesses to become the next big thing out of Kansas City. In total, 23 startups raised more than $56.8 million, which is not…
Meet the 10 startup winners of LaunchKC’s $50K
LaunchKC announced the winners of 10, $50,000 grants Friday during a celebration at the inaugural Techweek Kansas City conference. More than 40 judges evaluated pitches from 20 contest finalists, who pitched their companies Friday morning at Union Station before a crowd of about 100 people. LaunchKC kicked off in February and nabbed nearly 500 total applicants…
Neighborly nabs $5.5M from Formation 8, Ashton Kutcher
Neighborly, a San Francisco-based startup with an office in Kansas City, recently landed a multi-million dollar investment for its community investment marketplace. The company, which relocated its headquarters from Kansas City to San Francisco after struggling to raise local capital, raised $5.5 million from venture capital firms Formation 8 and Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures, according…
5 takeaways from most entrepreneurial city report
A report analyzing progress on Kansas City’s goal to become America’s most entrepreneurial city highlighted a trove of information on the area’s early-stage business community. KCSourceLink’s second-annual “We Create KC” report dissects the metro’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, including its headway toward realizing a challenge to become the nation’s most entrepreneurial city. Expounding on such metrics as…