Startland News Staff
Sometimes we share credit. The “Staff Writer” byline appears on stories reported, written, or edited collaboratively by members of the Startland News team — especially for quick hits and breaking news.
Recent Stories by Startland News Staff
Newly honored as a ‘world-changing idea,’ Pure Pitch Rally opens 2021 contest applications
A premier Kansas City pitch competition that awards emerging tech founders on-the-spot cash funding, along with a series of business bootcamp experiences, was honored this week among Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas. The winners include businesses, policies, projects and concepts that are actively engaged and deeply committed to pursuing innovation when it comes to solving…
Missouri House advances pro-entrepreneur bill that would lower taxes on self-starters
A vision to make Missouri more entrepreneur-friendly moved closer to reality Monday as state legislators passed a first-in-the-nation Right To Start Act, advancing the bill to the Senate on an 85-69 vote. “We made progress today to make Missouri a state that welcomes risk takers, the crazy ones, who want to build the next generation…
SafetyCulture rides deeper into unicorn club with $73M round, reaching $1.6B valuation
The evolution from a checklist app into an operations platform for working teams is paying off for SafetyCulture, which Monday announced a massive funding round from the East Coast — pushing the unicorn company even deeper into the realm of startups valued at more than a billion dollars. Led by New York-based Insight Partners, the…
Founded to sell: Emerging KC tech firm led by startup veterans announces $725K funding round
A Kansas City startup’s initial funding round is expected to help small businesses close more deals, faster, said Scott Hansen. LeadSigma, a powerful and easy-to-use sales engagement platform, has raised a $725,000 family and friends round, Hansen, co-founder of LeadSigma, announced Friday. The round included prominent opinion leaders and agency owners in targeted SMB verticals,…
$12M capital infusion pumps Prairie Village-based Artio Medical to $46M in funding
A Johnson County medical device company announced Thursday the closing of an additional $12 million tranche of Series A financing — advancing the startup’s tech toward clinical study and commercialization with the backing of a leading Kansas City real estate developer. “We are thrilled to close this round of financing with strong support from existing investors…
Report: UMKC Innovation Center helped create 500 new ventures, boost revenue by $245M in 2020
Amid a year of pandemic-prompted chaos in the business community, entrepreneurs forged ahead like rarely before seen, according to the UMKC Innovation Center’s new impact report, which details outcomes of the Kansas City-based resource network’s programming opportunities. “These entrepreneurs and leaders are our clients, our inspiration and our hope,” said Maria Meyers, executive director at…
Overland Park startup secures $41M as infrastructure gets new focus amid COVID, Biden presidency
A massive round of Series B funding will boost Replica’s data platform as it changes how cities are planned and operated — especially in the wake of a global pandemic and a renewed emphasis on infrastructure spending from the federal level down, said Nick Bowden. The $41 million round was led by Founders Fund and…
How can edtech startups tell if their products work? LEANLAB partners research tech use in real KC classrooms
A rebooted accelerator concept for LEANLAB Education put four edtech companies into Kansas City classrooms this spring — focusing more on helping founders conduct research on their products inside of schools and de-emphasizing previous entrepreneur training aspects of LEANLAB’s programming. “As the first program of its kind in the U.S., this inaugural cohort represents a turning…
Stackify sells to West Coast competitor; stacking another exit for startup veteran Matt Watson
Two of the country’s fastest growing companies have joined forces as Leawood-built Stackify reaches its exit, the tech startup announced Tuesday. Huntington Beach, California-based Netreo has acquired the company in an undisclosed deal, expected to enhance the IT infrastructure management (ITIM) platform’s full-stack IT monitoring and AIOps offerings — significantly boosting its overall customer experience. …
Smart move: Toby Rush-led company shipping its HQ to Edison District in OP, aims to deliver ‘delight’ to workers
Smart Warehousing is on the move — packing up its Edgerton headquarters and relocating to an Overland Park innovation hub. The warehousing and fulfillment solutions company is expected to occupy a portion of the newly-completed Edison District, the company announced this week. “Relocating our headquarters to downtown Overland Park and maintaining our Edgerton operations positions us well…