Neal Sharma

PayIt, Kansas City

Experts: Coastal VCs getting FOMO on Kansas City; PayIt’s $100M+ investment proves it

Landing more than $100 million in funding is no small feat for PayIt — or any startup, John Thomson said with a mix of humble confidence. “Wins beget wins, and it helps to build the ecosystem,” said Thomson, CEO and co-founder of PayIt. Click here to read more about PayIt’s investment from Insight Partners. For Thomson,…

Reports: St. Louis startup scene surging while KC struggles to keep pace with past wins

Founders hoping to launch a new startup or move into a fresh market might have better success in St. Louis, rather than Kansas City, according to Inc. magazine’s Surge Cities Index. Inc. placed St. Louis at No. 33 on its 50 Best Places in America for Starting a Business list. Kansas City was positioned at…

Neal Sharma, DEG exit

DEG execs reflect on $100M+ exit: Join an armada before success puts a target on your back

Riding into battle solo won’t help a company win the war that is business, Neal Sharma told a crowd of ACG Kansas City members gathered to hear details behind the exit of homegrown marketing giant DEG. “One of the things we realized three years ago — about DEG — is it was a completely successful, self…

KC Rising update

KC Rising update: Kansas City falling short in economic race with peer markets

Bill Gautreaux sounded the alarm with a mixed refrain meant as a KC Rising call to action: “We’re good, but we’re not good enough.” Throughout a recent KC Rising update on the region’s economic growth, Gautreaux and other KC Rising leaders championed Kansas City’s efforts to move the needle, while also lamenting the slow speed…

Dale Hazlett, chief financial officer and principal, DEG; Neal Sharma, chief executive and principal, DEG; Jean Lin, Isobar Global CEO; Deb Boyda, Isobar U.S. CEO; and Jeff Eden, chief revenue officer and principal, DEG

WSJ report: Overland Park-based DEG posts $150M exit in deal with Japanese ad behemoth

Top-tier Kansas City digital agency DEG will provide a global advertising giant with an opening into the U.S. market, as well as push the locally-headquartered firm’s reach international, the companies said Tuesday. Dentsu Aegis Network announced the acquisition of Digital Evolution Group (DEG) as part of an effort to transform its existing creative hub, Isobar….