InvestMidwest says in-person capital conferences are back; returning to Kansas City in 2024
November 15, 2022 | Startland News Staff
A long-running investment conference that previously showcased Kansas City startups to crowds of regional and national funders is expected to resume its in-person events this spring in St. Louis.
The InvestMidwest event series — which rotates between Missouri’s two major startup hubs — is set to return to Kansas City in 2024. Exact dates for the conferences have not yet been released.
“InvestMidwest provides startup companies access to their first institutional capital and facilitates networking among entrepreneurs, VCs and strategic acquirers, while showcasing elements of the innovation ecosystems in Kansas City and St. Louis,” organizers said in an announcement Tuesday.
The event last came to Kansas City in 2019.
Click here to learn more about InvestMidwest.
Claire S. Kinlaw has been named executive director of the rebooted conference and the organization behind it, the announcement said.
Claire S. Kinlaw, InvestMidwest
“I am very pleased for the opportunity to work with the InvestMidwest Advisory Board and other stakeholders in the innovation ecosystems of St Louis and Kansas City to relaunch InvestMidwest as a vital in-person event,” said Kinlaw. “Bringing entrepreneurs and investors together from across the Midwest will further the commercialization of technologies in three important industry areas: agriculture, healthcare, and technology, including an emerging geospatial sector.”
Kinlaw has been chief scientific officer at Zea Biosciences, an early-stage agricultural biotechnology company, since late 2021. She will continue to serve the company part-time.
She previously served as director of Innovation Commercialization with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, where she helped scientists bridge from their discoveries to commercial opportunities. Among her career and educational credentials, Kinlaw also has an MBA from the Walter Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship.
“We look forward to Claire’s leadership in continuing the forum’s efforts to narrow the funding gap in our region compared to the Coasts by attracting more early-stage capital to worthy startups,” said Maria Meyers, advisory board member for InvestMidwest and associate vice chancellor of UMKC and executive director of UMKC Innovation Center.
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
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
BLK + BRWN owner calls on funders to co-author bookstore’s story of activism for silenced narratives
A recently launched crowdfunding campaign to help BLK + BRWN make rent could mean the difference between access and censorship for the community served by the indie bookstore, said Cori Smith. “This is my flavor of activism,” Smith said of BLK + BRWN, the 39th Street business she describes as both a passion project and…
Mom’s ‘modern throwback’ dress collection celebrates girlhood, innocence of times past
Inspired by her five daughters, Joelle Smith created a dress line and online boutique she hopes captures the innocence, beauty, and whimsical spirit of young girls — even though hers are now grown. “When they were little girls, I loved watching them put on a dress and just light up and then twirl and play…
Early childhood isn’t a money maker, but can be a money breaker: ECJC initiative links lack of child care to business’ bottom lines
Access to safe and affordable child care is an issue that should concern everyone, Judy Bumpus acknowledged. Research indicates the current capacity to provide child care within the Kansas City metro is only 45 percent, according to the director of client services for the Kansas City Women’s Business Center, with 80,000 children still needing childcare…
KC Black Owned’s fall summit returns this weekend with corporate backing, tools for Black entrepreneurs
A summit planned for Saturday at the Kansas City Convention Center aims to inspire Black business owners and equip them with the resources, strategies, and connections needed to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace. The Global Strategies Summit for Market Innovators — organized by KC Black Owned — is deeply rooted in its founder’s drive to…