Latest Stories
Her new role is reenvisioning one of KC’s most iconic events for entrepreneurs; how Callie England is shaking up GEW
Callie England misses the life of an entrepreneur, she shared, but her new role with the UMKC Innovation Center — and GEWKC — allows her to stay in the game without being on the field. As of January, the veteran Kansas City startup founder is responsible for managing the branding and marketing initiatives of the…
Sand volleyball tourney for early-career professions works to ‘Spike the Stigma’ on mental health
Joining the workforce is no walk on the beach, said Mark Potts, but give him and his teammates a few hours in the sun and sand on a Saturday afternoon and it could be. “Nobody is on their journey alone,” said Potts, president of the Go Further Foundation, explaining the organization’s purpose and its goal…
Sailes closes $5.1M investment round led by STL firm, with KCRise Fund, Wichita VC
The foundation for Sailes has always been solving difficult problems for sales teams, said Nick Smith; the success of a Series A funding round for the startup will power new tools toward that goal. “Everyone is on this AI hype train, and we’ve been for AI for a while. But it’s not just about using…
EquipmentShare completes another $150M equity raise, building on its Series E funding
COLUMBIA, Missouri — The latest tranche of funding for EquipmentShare puts mid-Missouri’s most earth-moving scaleup close to a half-billion dollars in funding announced over the past six months. EquipmentShare, a Columbia-based equipment and digital solutions provider serving the construction industry, on Wednesday announced it completed an extension of its Series E equity raise, led by funds…
Tesseract Ventures illuminates its work with US military, lighting new alert system for air force base
A new military contract showcases Tesseract Ventures’ versatility and sophistication in the national security tech space, said John Boucard, touting the Overland Park-based company’s cutting-edge Alert Route Lighting System planned for MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. “Tesseract continues its focused mission to revolutionize the way people live, work, and play by developing state-of-the-art technologies…
Anonymous donor makes $50M commitment to KU School of Business; largest gift in school history
LAWRENCE — A hefty anonymous donation is expected to transform business education and research at the KU School of Business, said Paige Fields, noting the $50 million commitment will also provide funds to advance key initiatives supporting undergraduate student success. “This transformative gift supports the School of Business’ ongoing commitment to excellence in research and…
Why the KC Pioneers refuse to stay in their lane; esports league teams with Kansas Speedway for weekend event
First they watched from stadium seats at the speedway, then from pit road. Now the fans-turned collaborators at the KC Pioneers are on track with one of their biggest partners to date: NASCAR. Kansas City’s premiere esports league has teamed up with the Kansas Speedway to bring traditional racing and esports gaming into the same…
Plaza retailers concerned for employee safety after recent shootings, upticks in thefts, harassment at iconic KC shopping district
No business owner should have to deal with ongoing incidents that threaten the safety of their employees and customers, Tyler Enders shared, but that’s the reality for some entrepreneurs on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza. Employees at Made in KC’s marketplace location on the Plaza were closing up for the night Sept. 2 — the…
Ballerina-turned-entrepreneur’s second act moves older adults to embrace vitality through dance
Dot Burner spent her younger years dancing, taking modern dance classes in college and swaying the evenings away with her late husband. At 93, Burner still loves to dance. She takes part in bi-weekly ballet classes, hosted by Vitality In Motion. “It’s very relaxing,” said Bruner, a Shawnee Hills community member who has been taking Vitality…
KC entrepreneurs tapped to team up with top-tier Kansas enterprise businesses
A trio of emerging Kansas City startups are among 20 cohort members selected to forge new strategic connections with big-name Kansas enterprise partners like Koch, Evergy, Cargill and Spirit AeroSystems. Wichita-based NXTUS this week announced the latest program participants for the NXTSTAGE Enterprise Engagement Series — a diverse array of growth-minded entrepreneurs offering innovative tech…
