Mid-America Angels race for record-setting investment year
April 30, 2015 | Bobby Burch
After investing nearly $1 million in the first quarter of 2015, regional investment network Mid-America Angels is on pace for its best year yet.
Mid-America Angels injected $870,000 of funding into two area companies during the first three months of 2015, which sets it on a pace to surpass $3 million in investments for the year. Mid-America Angels — whose investments include such companies as EyeVerify, Novita Therapeutics, RareWire and others — is managed by the Enterprise Center of Johnson County.
The investment group recently backed Olathe-based TVAX Animal Health with a $696,000 investment that will offer the company funds to kickstart clinical chemotherapy testing in dogs. TVAX Animal health is a subsidiary of Lenexa-based TVAX Biomedical.
Mid-America Angels also supplied $178,000 to Kansas City-based Rawxies, which makes raw, vegan snacks. The new funds will allow the company to build out its sales and marketing channels, as well as expand its product offerings.
“We’re proud to welcome two additional companies to our MAA portfolio, and look forward to working with the management teams of TVAX Animal Health and Rawxies to ensure both their continued growth and job growth in our region,” ECJC CEO George Hansen said in a release.
Featured Business

2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Start from the top: How these newsmakers forged companies to watch (Event Photos)
Maybe it was an open opportunity in a market that couldn’t be ignored. Perhaps a calling to do something bigger than themselves. Or, for some, just a transparent bid to find profit in a world of problems waiting to be solved. Each of Startland News’ 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch launched with a motivation…
WeCode KC, CAPA selected for free services from this Top 10 KC small business winner
A company lauded among Kansas City’s top small businesses for three consecutive years this week announced the nonprofit recipients of $100,000 in pro-bono marketing services through a first-time expansion of its annual Crux for a Cause initiative. WeCode KC and Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA) will each receive marketing investments of $50,000 for 2024, said…
KC startup on a mission to show women’s health is more than a niche; a nationwide advocate could help
A women-led Kansas City health startup is among 10 companies chosen for a new innovation cohort from Springboard Enterprises, which made a name for itself locally in recent years through its popular Dolphin Tank pitch showcases. Marma was selected for the Springboard program — a comprehensive entrepreneurial bootcamp and an expansive workshop series — because the…
Her fund targets investments for women of color; why this VC is fighting a lawsuit that would curb equity-focused funding
The fight for equity — especially among Black and brown entrepreneurs — isn’t easily won, said Ayana Parsons, likening the setback-laden struggle to a boxing match that seemingly never ends. “There are many rounds,” Parsons recently told a Kansas City crowd gathered at Burns & McDonnell’s campus for an event to honor diverse legacies. Parsons’…
