KC newbie Rex tops $1M in revenue, kicks off hiring
June 17, 2015 | Bobby Burch
Surging growth at one of Kansas City’s newest startups is leading it to hire a staff six times its current size.
Rex CEO Amado Guloy
Rex, an animal health tech company that recently graduated from the Techstars-led Sprint Accelerator, is hoping to quickly boost its headcount from two to 12. In the days following a pitch at the accelerator’s demo day event, Rex CEO Amado Guloy said the company’s received significant interest.
“In the two weeks since demo day, we hit $1 million in revenue,” Guloy said at a 1 Million Cups presentation Wednesday. “We’re a bit more comfortable hiring now. … We’re hiring like crazy right now.”
Rex, which relocated its operations from Houston to Kansas City after the Sprint Accelerator program, created a population health and bioinformatics platform focused on animal health. Now that the company’s surpassed $1 million in revenue, Guloy said he’s looking for sales, tech and business development employees.
Guloy said that the company’s business model has drastically changed as a result of the Sprint Accelerator program. Instead of connecting vets and pets owners, the company now provides real-time data on animal health maladies that can quickly spread around the globe.
The move proved to be beneficial — both in financial returns and for the team itself.
“This suits us better,” Guloy said. “We’ve morphed. … During the course of mentor madness (at the Sprint Accelerator) we realized that we were having trouble with growth and we knew this was a reflection of pet owners not really taking their pets to the vet regularly. … (Eventually) we found there was a really big need for (animal disease tracking) in the animal health industry.”
Guloy said that the company has received a warm reception to Kansas City. Furthermore, the area’s collaborative spirit has helped it foster new growth opportunities.
“It’s been awesome — that’s why we wanted to stay. The animal health corridor has been very supportive. … CEO Craig Wallace (CEO of Kansas City-based Ceva Animal Health) has been a mentor for us. He’s been a great mentor and incredibly supportive.”
Featured Business
Related Posts on Startland News
KC-baked snack cracker startup tastes new markets, opportunities fueled by regenerative agriculture
SAN ANTONIO — Five years after the company experienced crunch time in the Kansas City-based Sprint Accelerator, Cheddies Crackers has expanded its line of high-protein, low-carb cheddar crackers into more than 2,500 retailers nationwide, said Francisco Pergola. RELATED: Say ‘cheese,’ KC! Cheddies arrive in Hy-Vee stores after Sprint Accelerator Pergola — who co-founded the San…
T-Mobile Accelerator preps for June 30 demo day; nearly ready to launch new fall cohort
As the Kansas City-based T-Mobile Accelerator readies for its June 30 demo day of immersive technology, the deadline is nearing on applications for a second accelerator program — set to debut this fall with a specific focus on wellness tech. “T-Mobile Accelerator is actively searching for startups developing the next big thing in 5G technologies…
Holograms, nextgen streaming and immersive edtech: Meet T-Mobile’s new accelerator class, the future of 5G
Innovation around 5G technologies continues at the forefront of the T-Mobile Accelerator, as the longtime Kansas City-based program kicks off its three-month 2021 virtual cohort with an international cast of diverse companies. The eight handpicked startups are expected work directly with technologists and business leaders at T-Mobile to build a new wave of 5G tech…
West Coast video-recording eyewear startup catches 5G wave of inspiration via KC accelerator
COVID-19 kept members of this summer’s T-Mobile Accelerator cohort from experiencing Kansas City in person, said Iskander Rakhman, but the virtual format didn’t prevent startups from gaining lasting insight into 5G capabilities that could push the next wave of wearable tech. “The consumer angle to 5G hasn’t been fully explored just yet,” said Rakhman, CEO…