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
Smart strategy generates wins for Evergy Ventures — KC’s quiet investment powerhouse
Editor’s note: The following content is sponsored by Evergy Ventures but independently produced by Startland News. As two long-standing utility companies merge, they’re creating a new kind of energy for GXP Investments — now known as Evergy Ventures — said Dennis Odell, announcing a rebrand of the investment firm. “GXP Investments — GXP — it…
Predicting sick days: Sickweather showers HR with data on illness mapping, trends
It’s a partnership more than a year in the making, said Graham Dodge, announcing Sickweather’s deal to help a leading employee benefits company predict workers’ sick days. The Kansas City-based startup is piloting a program among the more than 10,000 employees at Unum Group to give managers more data and insights to plan for absenteeism.…
Vintage WiFi mashup: Designer converts old items into bluetooth speakers at Troost T-shirt shop
Rick Kloog’s T-shirt shop on Troost resonates with the sound of side hustles — combining the former music producer’s previously untapped talents for a Vintage WiFi effect. The “funky little vintage store” blends original Kansas City-designed shirts, and miscellaneous items — most of which Kloog converts into bluetooth speakers — as well as other original…
Firebrand Fein: KC needs more audacious startups, ‘crazy ideas’ to attract investors
Kansas City companies need to buck the Midwestern, risk-averse mindset and sell audacious plans to investors, said John Fein. “I would just love to see more crazy ideas, more big game type ideas,” said Fein, founder and managing partner at Firebrand Ventures. “We invest when [the startup] starts to generate revenue, so they have to…