2020 Startups to Watch: backstitch shifts tech conversation to company culture, communication
January 22, 2020 | Anna Turnbull
Editor’s note: Startland News selected 10 Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2020’s companies. Click here to view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch.
Employers can win the fight against disengaged workers, said Jordan Warzecha, noting the battlefield stretches from right outside his company’s Crossroads offices to the coasts and beyond.
Elevator pitch: Backstitch provides organizations in effective technology to communicate better to their employees.
• Founders: Jordan Warzecha, Stefanie Warzecha
• Founding year: 2012
• Amount raised to date: $2.45 Million
• Noteworthy investors: Serra Ventures, KCRiseFund
• Programs completed: Techstars Sprint Accelerator Class of 2016
• Current employee count: 17
“Every week it seems we are discovering a new company that is based right in our backyard that is a perfect fit for our technology,” said Warzecha, co-founder and CEO of growth-stage Backstitch — a startup that aims to mitigate the impacts of poor internal communication by helping companies engage their employees directly, a problem costing companies upwards of $36 billion a year.
“We feel like we are still just scratching the surface of the type of customers that we serve,” Warzecha said, noting the startup has long placed its focus on companies with massive employee rosters — and Kansas City has plenty.
2020 will see the startup take on a new position, placing emphasis on aiding businesses as culture around communication continues to shift, he added.
“What separates us in the market is our investment in customer success. It is not just, ‘Here’s technology, go run with it.’ Its, ‘Here is technology and we are going to strategically work with you on how to implement it,’” explained Warzecha.
Click here here to connect with Backstitch.
The development of new resources for customers at large/enterprise national and multinational companies will further drive growth for the company in 2020, made possible by the success of a recent funding round, which included participation from the KCRise Fund.
Stefanie Warzecha and Jordan Warzecha, backstitch
All in all, 2020 is about growth for the startup — which relocated to Kansas City from Detroit in 2016 — and the path to success is clear, Warzecha said.
“We are growing on all fronts: sales, development, and customer success. For us, we provide a leading-market technology … What separates us in the market is our investment in customer success.”
Strategic partnerships and team growth will also fuel the year ahead, Warzecha noted, citing experience gained in 2019 as a driver for what’s to come.
1) United American Hemp
2) Tesseract Ventures
3) ELIAS Animal Health
4) Healium
5) Fishtech
6) Draiver
7) Backstitch
8) Stenovate
9) Boddle Learning
10) Destiny
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
We rode Kansas City’s new Ferris wheel for the best view of the skyline; Here’s what we saw
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. Although it’s been visible from the ground for months, the 150-foot KC Wheel is now open to ride for a panoramic,…
CAPS Network expanding into rural Kansas schools with $951K education grant
Nearly $1 million in federal funds is expected to help CAPS Network expand its profession-based learning into rural school districts, focusing on the state of Kansas, Corey Mohn shared. The $951,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education was announced earlier this week. “We are really excited about the impact this funding will help us…
Former sports executive teams with startup veteran to simplify visa process for foreign athletes
After 16 years handling immigration visas for the Kansas City Royals, Kyle Vena knew there must be a better way to streamline the daunting task of bringing athletes to the U.S. to play baseball — and keeping them, he shared. “When I left [the job] in the summer of 2022, I had this concept baked…
Cheese, chips, and cheers: Deez Nachos joins Parlor with its first fixed location
Dwight Tiller II is taking his family’s loaded nacho business from wheels to brick-and-mortar with its new spot — parked on the first floor of Parlor, Kansas City’s first modern food hall. Previously at the Crossroads-based Parlor as the former co-owner and head chef of KC Mac and Co., Tiller now is taking Deez Nachos…