Darcy Howe

KC, Wichita investors, new backers boost Novel Capital’s efforts to break down funding barriers

Additional funders have joined a seed extension round to help Novel Capital accelerate growth for B2B predictable revenue companies, the company announced Monday, noting further investment by KCRise Fund and Wichita-based Tenzing Capital. Novel Capital’s latest funding round was led by Ulu Ventures, with additional participation from MatterScale and Edovate Capital, as well as its…

Chris Goode, Ruby Jean's Juicery

Junior Achievement honoring Ruby Jean’s founder with its 2022 KC Innovator Award

A group hoping to inspire the next generation of leaders, thinkers and doers has tapped a young entrepreneur with a healthy appetite for expansion as its next KC Innovator Award winner. Chris Goode, founder of Ruby Jean’s Juicery, is set to be honored with the award Nov. 1 during the Junior Achievement of Kansas City’s…

Brian King, Realto

KC investors power $4.5M round for OP startup poised to ‘unlock billions’ for its customers

Overland Park-based Realto has closed a $4.5 million funding round — thanks in large part to the backing of Kansas City-based investors.  “We’re excited to welcome these important investors as we continue to expand our robust trading capabilities across the universe of alternative products,” Brian King, co-founder and CEO, said in announcement of the funding round which…

Hometown startups want their due; sister-led QuickHire’s $1.4M round could be just the start

QuickHire’s potential for success is enhanced — not limited — by the young tech startup’s south-central Kansas geography, said Deborah Gladney, one half of a sister-led Wichita venture that recently announced its $1.4 million round boosted by a leading Kansas City fund. “Being from Wichita, we’ve come to know and appreciate everything this city has to…

eHawk team 2021

Why KCRise Fund chose a Lee’s Summit-built criminal justice smartphone app for its first lead investment

A Kansas City startup’s smartphone-enabled alternative to ankle monitors taps into a huge courts and corrections market — with the potential for tremendous cost savings and societal impact, said Darcy Howe. And that docket of benefits presents a unique opportunity for KCRise Fund, which this week announced its lead investment in Lee’s Summit-based eHawk, added…