Latest Stories
International business program ScaleUpU taps KC as inaugural city
Kansas City has been nationally recognized for its plethora of startup resources. And thanks to the launch of a new, international program, the area has more opportunities to grow its mid-sized firms that hope to become Kansas City’s next billion-dollar business. After its launch in January, ScaleUpU aims to take 15 midsized Kansas City companies…
Events Preview: Second Friday at Village Square
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 Focus on Yourself in the New Year: Expert Panel Discussion on Career Advancement for Marketing Communicators When: Jan. 10,…
Top 10 Kansas City startups to watch in 2017
Kansas City witnessed one of its biggest startup successes in 2016 with EyeVerify’s massive exit. Stories like this bring Kansas City’s potential to the foreground. It validates that not only building a wildly lucrative business is possible but also that the area community can help make it possible. While undoubtedly a triumph, EyeVerify is but…
Mid-America Angels invested $3.6M in record-breaking 2016
For the second consecutive year, the Mid-America Angel Network posted a record-breaking year of investing. In 2016, the Kansas City-based network invested $3.6 million via 15 deals in startups, topping its 2015 totals of $2.8 million in nine investments. “What you see here is the result of several years of work, not just one,“ MAA…
Digital Sandbox’s newest cohort: Hip hop health startup, moving app
Digital Sandbox KC on Friday announced its support of two new Kansas City tech firms. Led by entrepreneur Jeff Shackelford, the Kansas City-based incubator welcomed H3TV and MovinHouz to its program. Digital Sandbox invests up to $25,000 in area businesses for specific projects that help the firms secure additional funding. The organization has now supported…
George Brooks: Two words that can change your business
Some of the biggest moments in any business start with two simple words: What if? After these words, great opportunity can follow. Businesses have started, discoveries made, and movements ignited around this simple curiosity. These words help find the right problems to solve. They help discover the best solutions. They may lead to failure or…
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 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…
