BacklotCars taking over full floor of new Lightwell building following $25M funding round
August 2, 2019 | Startland News Staff
A 20,000-square-foot space in one of Kansas City’s most recently remodeled downtown office buildings will allow BacklotCars room to continue expanding its team, while also impressing high-level targets, said Josh Parsons.
“The location, design and amenities of the project are exactly what is needed to attract the top tech talent to Kansas City,” said Parsons, co-founder and COO at BacklotCars, describing the look and feel of the space at 12th and Main streets. “We are very excited to be moving into the new Lightwell building and feel that it will be a great place for our ever-growing team to call home.”
BacklotCars joins WeWork as top-tier tenants at Lightwell, which boasts 180,000 square feet of contiguous availability, the largest existing block of space in downtown Kansas City, according to its developers. WeWork plans to occupy two floors of the building, formerly branded as City Center.
Now operating from within Plexpod Crossroads, BacklotCars — which offers a wholesale platform for auto dealers — is expected to move into Lightwell later this month. The company announced a $25 million funding round in April.
Click here to read more about the big investment in BacklotCars.
“BacklotCars is exactly the type of forward-thinking technology company that understands what we’re creating at Lightwell,” said Basel Bataineh, vice president at Somera Road, which negotiated the lease alongside AREA Real Estate Advisors. “They’re a major contributor to Kansas City’s growing technology ecosystem and we’re excited to provide them with a home that’ll enable their next phase of growth.”


Featured Business

2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Area experts dive into uncertainty and hope for immigrant entrepreneurship
Now more than ever, it’s important for the community to come together to gain new perspectives. That notion was a driving force behind the February Innovation Exchange in which Startland News dove into the subject of immigration and entrepreneurship. Hosted in partnership with Think Big, the event welcomed a researcher and a policy expert from…
Analysis from binge watching six-months of 1 Million Cups KC
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Every Wednesday morning in over 100 communities nationwide, two entrepreneurs present a six-minute profile of their companies to a diverse audience, followed by 20 minutes of open Q&A. Last July, I binge-watched 1 Million Cups Kansas City’s 51 presentations from January 1 to…
Listen: KC immigrant entrepreneurs share their stories
In light of recent news, Startland News focused this month’s Innovation Exchange on the intersection of immigration and entrepreneurship. U.S. immigration policy has a profound impact not only on society but also the nation’s entrepreneurial vibrancy, which prompted a discussion including a researcher and policy expert, a local immigration attorney and pair of immigrant entrepreneurs.…
KC cartoonist captures conversation on immigration and entrepreneurship
Tucked amid a crowd of about 80 people at Think Big Partners Tuesday, Kansas City artist Jasur Rakhimov swiftly sketched a conversation unfolding before him on immigration and entrepreneurship. A cartoon-style artist, Rakhimov stopped by Startland News’ fifth Innovation Exchange that focused on immigration and entrepreneurship to not only share his talents but also to…

