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
Entrepreneur’s pitch: Throw a life vest to those caring for loved ones with special needs
Families of loved ones with disabilities are fighting the clock, said Samantha Lane, Kansas City-area entrepreneur and founder of Lumina Advocacy and Coaching in Gardner. “There is a huge gap to be filled,” Lane said as she described the array of physical, intellectual, and sensory needs affecting — what she referenced as one-fifth of the American…
DivvyHQ landed Novel’s first investment by avoiding hockey-stick growth, co-founder says
It was a marriage of the minds, said DivvyHQ co-founder Brody Dorland, describing his marketing tech firm’s recent investment from Novel Growth Partners. The company’s leadership — Dorland and co-founder Brock Stechman — is honored to be recipients of NGP’s first investment, Dorland said. But the pairing didn’t come by accident, he added. “I think they viewed…
In talent showdown with corporate neighbors, startups must hire smarter, say Digital Sandbox experts
Kansas City heavy-weights like Garmin and Cerner court developers at the student level, said Brody Dorland, discussing a talent showdown seen by startups across the metro. “How am I supposed to compete with that?” asked Dorland, co-founder of marketing tech firm DivvyHQ, during a recent Digital Sandbox: Summer in the Sand panel about growing startup…
KC Fed: Want to strengthen Kansas City’s job market? Narrow skills gap caused by digital division
Digital division in Kansas City is taking its toll on the local workforce, said Jeremy Hegle. More must be done to allow skilled workers access to technology — in turn offering them a chance to succeed in a rapidly growing electronic economy, added Hegle, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City senior community development advisor. In…
