Local firm JobShakers scores Mid-America Angel dollars
May 5, 2016 | Bobby Burch
JobShakers, a tech startup offering employee referral software, recently raised local capital to fuel its development and sales channels.
The Shawnee Mission-based company announced Thursday that it closed on a $265,000 seed investment from the Mid-America Angels Investment Network. The new injection of funds brings JobShakers’ total amount raised to $465,000.
“Having completed several months of beta testing with major Kansas City employers, our system is positioned for market rollout,” JobShakers CEO Kevin Fryer said in a release. “With this funding, we will expand our customer support capacity and our sales team.”
The company created an iOS and Android app that allows friends, families and colleagues to make referrals directly from their smartphones using their contact lists. The platform presents job postings alongside a user’s contact list, enabling quick referrals via a “drag-and-drop” method.
Founded in 2014, JobShakers is now pushing its product throughout the Midwest. The company targets referrals for skilled hourly workers, which represents nearly 60 percent of the U.S. workforce, Fryer said. Employers pay for the software is based on a per-referred-candidate-hired basis.
Fryer is also managing partner of SparkLabKC, a Kansas City business accelerator whose future is now uncertain as it looks for new management.
George Hansen, executive director of the Mid-America Angels Investment Network, said that his organization is thrilled to be among the first Kansas City investors to back JobShakers. Hansen added that the startup’s management team was another selling point when eyeing an investment.
“When making the decision to invest in an early-stage company, a balanced and experienced management team is often among our most important criteria,” Hansen said in a release. “The diversity and depth of experience on the JobShakers team was impressive and a key factor in our decision to invest in the success and growth of this business.”
MAA is an angel investor network focused startups in the Kansas and Missouri region. Since 2006, the firm has made 70 investments totaling over $18 million.
Featured Business
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
New home for Back2KC: Kansas City Startup Foundation expands talent pipeline efforts
It’s the Kansas City Startup Foundation’s turn to drive the tour bus, said Darcy Howe, announcing Monday the transfer of the Back2KC talent pipeline initiative to KCSF, the nonprofit ecosystem-building organization that also powers Startland News. The move means KCSF will take ownership of the program for its Oct. 3-4 return, adding a full-time team…
UMKC-powered tech could help visually-impaired Kansas Citians see via artificial intelligence
Gharib Gharibi is driven to succeed by a desire to pay it forward, he said, riding a high from his startup’s first-place, $20,000 win at UMKC’s Regnier Institute Venture Creation Challenge. “They helped us transform our technology from the computer lab to the real world,” Gharibi, founder of DeepLens and a UMKC PhD student, said…
iWerx Gladstone opens, expanding Northland coworking community (Photos)
Northland startups and business owners need more collaborative workplaces to call their own, Bob Martin said less than a year ago. This week, iWerx Gladstone turns that vision into reality. “More than just a place to work, iWerx Gladstone is a business development center committed to making connections and stimulating personal and professional growth,” said…
Look inside (and out): Corrigan Station expansion offers startups skyline views from within Crossroads
Decades have passed since the last new office building opened in the Crossroads Arts District, said Edna Martinson. In a matter of weeks, startups and small businesses can “create their own vibe” when the 22,910-square-foot Corrigan Station expansion project — led by Copaken-Brooks — unlocks its doors and opens them to Kansas City innovators, added Martinson,…