KC entrepreneurs talk funding, advice over breakfast
June 11, 2015 | James Hart
It can be tough for young, growing companies to find funding in Kansas City, but it’s not impossible.
That was one of the takeaways from Thinking Bigger Business’ BIG Breakfast on June 11 at the Kauffman Foundation. The quarterly breakfast features stories and insights from four local entrepreneurs, many of whom have appeared in recent issues of Thinking Bigger Business.
This time, the panelists included Jeff Blackwood of ABPathfinder, Callie England of Rawxies, Lisa Sackuvich of ARJ Infusion Services and Dr. Michelle Robin of Your Wellness Connection.
England’s company relocated to the West Coast for a time, but eventually moved back to Kansas City, where she’s benefited from working with programs like the Pipeline Entrepreneurial Fellowship and plugging into the business community.
She said that it can be more challenging to locate funding here, but pointed to two local groups—the Women’s Capital Connection and the Mid-America Angels—that have helped Rawxies grow.
To read more, visit Thinking Bigger Business Media’s website …
Featured Business

2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
FCC head: Repealing net neutrality will boost innovation, investment; startups disagree
The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to eliminate regulatory rules that prohibit internet service providers from interfering with consumers’ access to web content. FCC chairman Ajit Pai announced in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that the regulatory body will vote Dec. 14 to repeal 2015 Obama-era regulations. That regulatory model, referred to as Title II,…
Bitten by Disney sharks, Roy Scott beats the odds with Healthy Hip Hop
When a potentially life-altering business deal suddenly vanished, Roy Scott didn’t get mad — he got funded. “Disney thought they were going to snuff us out, but all they did was put gasoline on this fire,” said Scott, founder of Kansas City-based H3 Enterprises (Healthy Hip Hop). Rewind. Starting his company with a live performance-based…
Governor-in-waiting talks startup funding, Amazon and why entrepreneurism is bigger than KC
The strongest person in the room isn’t necessarily the loudest, Jeff Colyer said. “Kansans are used to being overlooked,” he said. “My role as lieutenant governor was to be a little quieter. You give your best advice. And when decisions are made, you’re going to work to support them.” Soon, however, he’ll be the state’s…
Bus tech startup Transportant announces $11M in pre-sales at Lean Lab pitch night
School districts across North America are on board with Transportant — to the tune of $11 million in pre-sale agreements, co-founder John Styers said. The startup, which uses video-based technology to allow students, parents and school administrators to better monitor school buses, announced the milestone — $10 million over its goal of $1 million in…
