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.
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.”
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Is government helping startups enough? Founders feel isolated, Kauffman survey finds
Early stage entrepreneurs struggle with the technical steps to getting started, a new Kauffman survey found, and founders don’t believe the government is helping them. The prevailing sentiment that entrepreneurs view themselves as isolated from assistance is understandable, said Melissa Roberts, vice president of strategy and economic development at the Enterprise Center in Johnson County.…
Kauffman survey: Women more critical of their own early-stage entrepreneurial efforts
Women entrepreneurs are more likely than their male counterparts to grade their performances harshly during the first year of business, though that tendency typically fades over time, according to a new survey by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. It often is about approaching the venture a realistic viewpoint, said Jeff Shackelford, executive director of Digital…
Video: ShotTracker fan app courts NAIA tourney crowds with AR experience
A new ShotTracker fan app — expected to launch today — will combine real-time analytics with augmented reality for a first-of-its-kind fan engagement opportunity at next week’s Division 1 NAIA basketball tournament, said co-founder Davyeon Ross. “We want to make the experience as great as possible for the end user,” Ross said, noting his company’s…
TechAccel, UC Davis lab developing wheat seed to combat climate change
A Kansas City-based tech and venture development firm hopes to engineer wheat seeds that produce higher yield by withstanding warmer temperatures. “We’re taking a concept that is pretty important for wheat worldwide,” said Brad Fabbri, Chief Science Officer of TechAccel. Increasing temperatures make growing wheat more difficult across the globe, studies show. Reports indicate climate…