Video: Foosball and whimsy are integral to the RFP365 ethos
April 4, 2016 | Bobby Burch
Kansas City foosball virtuoso Stuart Ludlow knows his way around the fútbol table.
With a strike rivaling a Black Mamba’s, Ludlow’s instincts and supple wrist on the foosball pitch puts to shame most any adversary. But perhaps equally as cunning is Ludlow’s savvy to integrate the table game into the workplace culture of RFP365, of which he’s a co-founder.
Founded in 2012, RFP365 created a software platform for issuers and receivers of requests for proposals — an often onerous process for organizations to solicit bids for commodities, services or assets. The company’s technology helps eliminate redundancies in the RFP process by providing streamlined tools to enable collaboration and improve workflow. It also allows RFP issuers to compare, track and monitor RFPs from respondents.
In 2015, RFP365 snagged the City of Kansas City, Mo. as a client, was named the 2015 “New Small Business of the Year” and raised $950,000 from regional angel investors.
As a small but quickly growing tech firm, RFP365 faces an ever-growing list of demands to juggle, creating stress that Ludlow and his co-founder, David Hulsen, aim to allay with foosball and a whimsical workplace. The company — which has seven employees and more than 200 customers in North America, Europe, Africa and Australia — recently moved to Kansas City’s Waldo District as part of an office expansion.
Check out the video below to learn more about the firm.

2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Timely funding opportunities for Kansas City startups
Despite Kansas City’s recognition as a tech hub, its variety of incubator programs and array of successful startup ventures, the metro’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is still trying to fill the money gap. How can the community ensure that entrepreneurs have access the capital they need? Well, as KCSourceLink knows well, appropriate funding resources vary widely depending…
Mobility Designed tackles a demand unaddressed since the Civil War
Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by LaunchKC but independently produced by Startland News. Some technologies are slow to innovate. And crutches — which haven’t changed much since the U.S. Civil War — are a prime example. “They’ve pretty much been the same for decades,” said Liliana Younger, CEO of Mobility Designed. “Although there…
Two area startups still vying for $25K from the Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation on Monday announced the top 15 finalists in the 1 in a Million pitch competition that are vying for a $25,000 grant — and two startups hail from the metro area. Kansas City-based The Grooming Project and Lawrence-based DraftPak both cracked the top 15 in the contest after beating out…
Fund me, KC: Hidden Abilities offers high-tech pen to topple dyslexia
Startland News is continuing its segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like Hidden Abilities co-founders Payden and Jamee Miller — to share their stories to gain a little help from their supporters. Back Hidden Abilities’ product here. Who are you? Jamee Miller and Miller, co-founders of Hidden…
