BacklotCars taking over full floor of new Lightwell building following $25M funding round 

August 2, 2019  |  Startland News Staff

BacklotCars, Lightwell, images courtesy of Somera Road and AREA Real Estate Advisors

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.

Lightwell building, downtown Kansas City

Lightwell building, downtown Kansas City

“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.”

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

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

Tagged , , , ,
Featured Business
    Featured Founder

      2019 Startups to Watch

        stats here

        Related Posts on Startland News

        From the pitch to the Plaza: KC Current flipping the switch on new retail shop in iconic shopping district

        By Tommy Felts | November 25, 2025

        Add team gear to the holiday shopping list this weekend. The Kansas City Current is kicking off a new permanent retail shop on the Country Club Plaza — just in time for the 2025 Plaza Lighting Ceremony. The Current Shop is set to open Wednesday, Nov. 26, in the former Starbucks building at 302 Nichols…

        Kauffman wraps three fast-paced rounds of capacity building: Meet the year’s final grantees

        By Tommy Felts | November 25, 2025

        A revised strategy to help nonprofit organizations strengthen their internal effectiveness and long-term stability — while still aligning with the Kauffman Foundation’s focus areas — next must showcase outcomes, said Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, announcing a final round of capacity building grant winners for 2025. Built with intentional versatility, capacity building grants are meant to meet…

        Five stocking stuffer gift ideas that brew support for women-owned KC businesses

        By Tommy Felts | November 24, 2025

        Editor’s note: The following holiday feature is presented by nbkc bank, where small businesses find big support [divide] Shopping with intention this season is just one way Kansas City gift-givers can squeeze local impact into each nook and cranny of those holiday stockings, said Melissa Eggleston, highlighting a sleigh-ful of women-owned businesses shoppers should bank…

        Their brands survived legal bruises; here’s what still keeps these founders up at night

        By Tommy Felts | November 24, 2025

        A brand worth building is worth safeguarding, said Bo Nelson, joining a chorus of battle-tested entrepreneurs at GEWKC who encouraged emerging business owners to trademark their own peace of mind early by locking down intellectual property — like designs, names and unique processes — from the start. “If you do have something that you genuinely,…