Idle Smart posts Series A round with KCRise Fund, multimillion-dollar investment support

October 24, 2018  |  Austin Barnes

Jeff Lynch, Idle Smart

A multi-million dollar investment round has Kansas City-grown Idle Smart revving its engine and accelerating toward rapid growth in 2019, revealed Jeff Lynch, company president.

“I think it’s a reflection of what the team has been able to create over the past few years,” Lynch said of Idle Smart’s completion of a milestone Series A funding effort.

The round was led by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, but also included significant support from the KCRise Fund and Service Provider Capital, he said. Stout Street Capital and Clean Energy Fund have also invested in the company, according to online Crunchbase reports.

Known for its patented, energy-saving technology that automates engine start-stops of fleet vehicles, Lynch said the cash infusion will greatly contribute to the internal growth of the company.

“Our business to date commands that we need to build, grow, and enhance our team in advance of what we think will be even better years in 2019, 2020, and 2021,” he said.

Idle Smart’s personnel upgrades will focus on technical expertise, U.S. and international sales forces, and internal account management functions, Lynch added.

“We think it’s a positive sign and a positive year mark in terms of our future opportunities and potential for success,” he said.

In addition to internal growth, Idle Smart is now in the process of relocating its offices from the Kansas City Startup Village to Plexpod Westport Commons, Lynch said.

Idle Smart was one of the first companies to inhabit the startup village –– a series of homes nestled within the 45th Street and State Line Road neighborhoods that first welcomed Google Fiber, which came to Kansas City in 2012.

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

2018 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    KC Rising red flag: Educated talent leaving KC, metro tech jobs unfilled

    By Tommy Felts | March 7, 2018

    More college-educated workers are leaving Kansas City than being drawn to the region, according to a new KC Rising report. That means local companies are forced to look outward for qualified talent, said Ryan Weber. “Most of those tech firms are hiring; it’s just for skill sets that few people have,” said Weber, president of…

    MECA Challenge, gun violence

    Students struck by KC gun violence search for solutions at MECA Challenge

    By Tommy Felts | March 7, 2018

    Editor’s note: MECA Challenge and Startland News are both programs of the Kansas City Startup Foundation, though the content below was produced independently by Startland. For more information on the relationship, click here. Escaping the cycle of gun violence can seem impossible, said Lea Thompson, still wearing a cast on her hand after being shot…

    STEAM Studio, 3-D-printed prosthetic

    STEAM Studio team coding best fit for boy’s 3-D-printed prosthetic arm

    By Tommy Felts | March 6, 2018

    Four-year-old Hudson Borton extended his arm Wednesday, as his father fitted a 3-D-printed prosthetic to the boy’s upper arm and elbow. The light blue plastic piece mimicked the size and length of Hudson’s right arm, though his father and Mandi Sonnenberg, co-founder and director of STEAM Studio, agreed the new device wasn’t yet a perfect…

    Suzanne Southard and Tiffany King, SouveNEAR

    KC-based SouveNEAR vending machine startup prepping to scale up

    By Tommy Felts | March 6, 2018

    SouveNEAR offers travelers a piece of KC — from KC, said co-founder Tiffany King. The Kansas City-based startup, which repurposes vending machines to sell locally made souvenirs, is in its fourth year of steady, organic growth, King said. As a member of ScaleUP! KC new class, SouveNEAR is preparing to grow the business and turn…