MTC gifts $2.6M to 10 Missouri tech firms, including one from KC
December 9, 2016 | Bobby Burch
The Missouri Technology Corporation is making the holidays extra special for 10 Show Me State startups.
With an aim to grow the state’s tech and bioscience sectors, the MTC announced that it approved $2.6 million in co-investment awards to 10 firms, including $225,000 to Kansas City-based SquareOffs. Founded in 2012 by Jeff Rohr, SquareOffs created an interactive polling platform that increases engagement and communication for publishers, bloggers and brands.
“This early-stage support allows startups to gain some traction in their capital raising efforts,” MTC executive director Bill Anderson said in a release. “It’s another way for these young companies to demonstrate validation of their concept to potential investors and for the state to solidify its reputation as being a growing innovation hub.”
MTC also allocated funding awards to six startups from St. Louis and one each from Brentwood, Chesterfield and Wildwood.
The capital derives from the MTC’s IDEA Fund, a program that will match other capital investments in high-growth tech companies. Since 2011, the program has co-invested in 95 companies, which have in turn been able to raise over $350 million in additional capital to grow their businesses and create jobs.
Featured Business
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KCSourceLink expands bilingual entrepreneur-focused support, adding two more Community Navigators
A network of “Community Navigators” is extending resources deeper into Kansas City’s entrepreneur community, KCSourceLink announced Friday, detailing the hiring of Citlali Valdez and Racquel Rodriguez to its months-old connectivity program. “We are thrilled to welcome these experienced team members,” said Becca Castro, senior director of regional ecosystem development at the UMKC Innovation Center, which…
Meet the Lumi Award winners: Digital Health KC salutes pioneers leading innovation trends
A lot of smart investors are betting on artificial intelligence, said Dick Flanigan, telling a crowd gathered Thursday at Digital Health Day that even if AI doesn’t turn every startup that uses it into a multi-million-dollar company, the technology still will fundamentally reshape health care. “It’s transformational,” said Flanigan, CEO of Digital Health KC and…
Meta’s billion-dollar KC data center just came online; here’s what the region expects it to generate
As Meta officially flipped the switch this week on its Kansas City Data Center — making the $1 billion project part of the company’s global infrastructure — the move positions the metro as a hub for cutting-edge tech, said Quinton Lucas. “Meta’s investment in Kansas City is a clear signal that our city is a…
Bean around the block: How this Westport coffee shop is cherry picking roasts from its own farm in the Andes
A hemisphere away from Brett Janssen’s former job at General Motors in Kansas City’s Northland, the now-budding Westport coffee shop owner found a fresh batch of opportunities: his wife, business partner and a transcontinental farm-to-cup Columbian coffee operation. Janssen’s House Coffee — the fruit of Janssen and his fiancée Genisis Mejia’s passion for coffee —…