Fishtech, BacklotCars, Bardavon named to Forbes’ 2020 best startup employers list
March 10, 2020 | Startland News Staff
A trio of fast-growing Kansas City companies are among the 500 best startup employers in the nation, according to a new ranking from Forbes.
Fishtech Group — one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2020 — lead the local honorees at No. 277 on Forbes’ list.
BacklotCars was ranked at No. 339, followed by Bardavon Health Innovations at No. 439.
Click here to see the full list of America’s Best Startup Employers for 2020.
“Those who are drawn to [working at] early-stage companies may have different professional priorities than those at more established firms, but the qualities they value most in employers are surprisingly similar,” the Forbes report read.
Such values include a clear mission, learning and development opportunities, transparency, and a flexible structure, according to the report. The top 500 list was compiled by evaluating 2,500 American businesses with at least 50 employees on three criteria: employer reputation, employee satisfaction and growth.
High-end amenities and cutting-edge office space also likely help.
Fishtech, a rapidly growing cyber security firm, boasts a sprawling Martin City campus with a more than $10 million cyber defense center. BacklotCars, which offers a wholesale platform for auto dealers, relocated in 2019 to fill a full floor of the newly renovated Lightwell building in downtown Kansas City.
Click here to take a closer look at Fishtech’s headquarters.
For Bardavon, the recognition was unexpected, said Matt Condon, the healthcare startup’s CEO.
“This was a surprise to us. However, we unapologetically expect that Bardavon will continue to be recognized as a national market force for evolving and improving healthcare,” he said. “Because of our unique mission to optimize outcomes by focusing on clinical data and disintermediating the claims process through technology and transparency, we have been able to recruit some of the best talent in the country to our Bardavon team.”
Bardavon is one of 62 healthcare startups and one of only nine healthcare startups in the Midwest; the rest are located on the east or west coasts, the company emphasized.
Bardavaon was named one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2018.
Featured Business

2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Just funded: KCMO unveils $200K in grants for nearly two dozen restaurants, bars, coffee shops
Kansas City has an “enormous appetite” for outdoor dining, said Wes Rogers, highlighting the growing need for city leaders to be responsive to evolving industry and small business trends — and championing KCMO’s new outdoor dining grants program. Officials on Tuesday announced 20 inaugural recipients of the Outdoor Dining Enhancement Grant. It’s an initiative —…
Startup: Holiday season gift card boom needn’t skip small biz; this discrete digital wallet-ready option keeps giving local
Gift cards are convenient — and the No. 1 most-requested present — Nicole Glass said, but there’s frequently just something impersonal and disconnected about them that makes many people feel bad about slipping one into a card or gift box. “It’s like, ‘I didn’t really know what you wanted. Here’s Starbucks,’” said Glass, president of…
Beadwork maker thankful for Native heritage, crafting pieces that honor her lineage (not just what will sell)
Komina Guevara’s hands are rarely still. Through intricate beadwork and crafting leather, her art tells a story deeply rooted in cultural heritage, family traditions, and personal evolution. As the creative force behind KomGue, Guevara is gaining recognition as a standout Kansas City maker — her work showcased at pop-ups and earning her the $1,500 second-place…


