Latest Stories

Pipeline announces award finalists, judges for the Innovators

The Kansas City-based Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship announced Friday the award finalists and national judging panel for its annual awards, the Innovators. Formerly known as Innovator of the Year, Pipeline’s culminating event is set for Jan. 26, during which 13 fellows from the region will pitch their firms to the judges. Later in the day, the…

Tech firm LendingStandard raises $600K, lands big client

Kansas City-based tech firm LendingStandard announced Thursday that it’s closed on an angel capital round of $600,000. CEO Andy Kallenbach said he’s pleased with the direction of the startup, which created software for multi-family lender organizations. Kallenbach added that he’s excited by what opportunities the financing affords LendingStandard. “This investment will allow us to develop new…

Victor Hwang

Victor Hwang illuminates the Kauffman Foundation’s entrepreneurial vision, new hires

Victor Hwang, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s vice president of entrepreneurship, recently took to LinkedIn to map out his vision for 2017 and beyond. In addition to making a series of new hires, Hwang outlined the four main areas of focus for the foundation: entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial ecosystems, market gaps and big ideas. “We are…

Global Prairie sues ag tech firm FarmLink for loan default

Kansas City-based marketing firm Global Prairie has filed suit against a local ag tech firm for defaulting on a loan, according to a document that was filed Nov. 14 in Jackson County Court. In the document, Global Prairie alleged that Kansas City-based FarmLink failed to fulfill payments on a promissory note in the amount of…

Judge: KC, St. Louis Tesla shops can remain open (for now)

As we said goodbye to 2016, Tesla — along with many other Americans — faced an uncertain future in the Show Me State. When the clock struck midnight, the auto maker’s license to sell cars in Missouri expired. This prompted the firm to close its three locations in Kansas City and St. Louis on Saturday — but not…

Eyeing a funding round? InvestMidwest deadline looms

The top investment forum in the Midwest is hoping to garner more applications from fast-growing firms in the Kansas City area. Now in its 18th year, the InvestMidwest Venture Capital Forum hosts investors from around the world that hope to hear from the region’s most-promising firms that need a boost of capital. Companies that presented…

How Meshuggah Bagels and Ruby Jean’s Juicery dealt with rapid growth

Imagine this. It’s opening day at your quaint cafe and you hope Kansas Citians like your bagels. It turns out they do — a whole lot. So much in fact that the line spills out the door for the next few weeks, spurring demand that’s more than 300 percent higher than anticipated. Pair that challenge…

Events Preview: KC Roundtable, 1MC is back

There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Weekly Events Preview Startup Rewind When: Jan. 4, 7:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Where: Deer Creek Golf Club The Startup Rewind is a…

Recap of an impressive 2016 for Kansas City’s top startups to watch

What a year it’s been for Kansas City startups. From exits and capital raises to awards and partnerships, the area’s early-stage firms have kept Startland News plenty busy in 2016. To mark that success, we’re revisiting a list we compiled a year ago relaying 10 startups that we believed were poised to make noise in…

Sprint Accelerator joins the Global Accelerator Network

Kansas City’s Sprint Accelerator recently joined a global group that will connect its startups to dozens of other accelerators around the world as well as a plethora of resources. The revamped Sprint Accelerator — which announced a new focus in October to foster corporate partnerships with startups — is now a part of the Global…