Just funded: LaunchKC unveils 7 newest grant winners, topping $385K in startup capital

LaunchKC’s big reveal Tuesday was about more than checking a box — or getting hands on oversized checks — with grant competition winners taking the stage to introduce their companies to an eager community of supporters, entrepreneurs and investors. 

“This event is incredible,” said Donnie Hampton, co-founder of Roz, one of seven startups honored Tuesday night at J. Rieger & Co. Distilling. “It’s not just the funding — although that’s a huge help — but the community we’ve joined. Everyone here is driven, passionate, and supportive.”  

For Hampton, LaunchKC’s Liftoff 2024 event provided more than a $55,000 grant. It connected his startup with a network of self-starters solving tough challenges with innovative solutions, he said.  

“Compliance doesn’t have to be a burden. We’re here to make it a strategic advantage,” Hampton said during his pitch for Roz, which uses AI to make compliance efficient and impactful, was one of seven startups awarded funding at the event.  

Joining Roz among the winning companies were Cybership, Hilltop Technologies, Scout, Sisu, SourceEazy, and StoryTailor — each driving innovation in areas from mental health to warehouse management.  

Winners received $55,000 as part of LaunchKC’s prize distribution to early-stage companies, which also includes access to office space, technical support, and networking opportunities.

Companies selected by LaunchKC are required to be headquartered in in Kansas City, Missouri. Those not already in the city are expected to begin relocated in January.

Tuesday’s celebration, organized during Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City, highlighted the city’s collaborative startup ecosystem.

“This event really showcases the strength of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial spirit,” said Jim Erickson, a key leader behind the LaunchKC, which is led by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Downtown Council.

Click here to read about the previous year’s winners.

Tracey Lewis, EDCKC, and Bill Dietrich, speak from the stage during the 2024 LaunchKC event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Preparing entrepreneurs for takeoff

LaunchKC has played a pivotal role in advancing entrepreneurs, its leaders said. Since the program’s inception, it has supported 108 companies and attracted over $500 million in investments to Kansas City.

Tracy Lewis, president of EDCKC, emphasized the initiative’s impact.  

“We focus on helping early-stage companies grow so they can become job providers and economic engines for our city,” said Lewis. “Tonight isn’t just about checks — we’re launching businesses into their next chapter with mentorship and resources.”  

Guest speaker Neelima Parasker, founder of SnapIT Solutions and co-founder of Lotus TMS, a LaunchKC alum, shared her journey before and after her experience with the program.

“I made half-a-million dollars in mistakes during my first two years. LaunchKC would have saved me so much of that pain,” she said. “They offer trustworthy resources that take almost nothing but give back exponentially.”

LaunchKC winners include:

Jeffrey Annaraj, Cybership, pitches during LaunchKC’s 2024 event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Cybership (Jeffrey Annaraj and Jack Kelly), Kansas City, Missouri — Transforms warehouse management with an affordable, modern WMS platform that unifies operations, inventory, and order management in one intuitive system, making enterprise-grade logistics technology accessible to 3PLs of all sizes.

“All entrepreneurs start their business dreaming about their product. Except me — I dreamed about shipping and fulfillment,” said Annaraj.

He shared a standout success story from one of the company’s clients that relied on his speedy shipping in a viral moment. 

“Taylor Swift wore one of our client’s products at the Chiefs-Saints game on Oct. 7, and orders skyrocketed from 150 per day to 5,000 in three hours flat,” he said. “Thanks to our platform, every order was processed, packed, and shipped on time — without a single hiccup.”

Nick Gicinto and Conner Hazelrigg, Hilltop Technologies, pitch during LaunchKC’s 2024 event; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Hilltop Technologies (Nick Gicinto and Conner Hazelrigg), Kansas City, Missouri — A cybersecurity company offering tailored managed security services, consulting, training, vCISO services, and policy guidance to protect organizations across sectors from cyber.

“Our solution, Volt, is an AI-enabled cybersecurity software that helps stop the chaos before it starts,” said Conner Hazelrigg, co-founder of Hilltop Technologies, “It adapts in real time to evolving threats so that businesses stay secure and operational at all times.”

RELATED: Cybersecurity startup extends intelligence, from small biz to college (and wartime Ukraine)

Gonzalo Erdozain, Scout, pitches during LaunchKC’s 2024 event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Scout (Gonzalo Erdozain), Kansas City, Missouri — An AAHA-compliant web-based application that streamlines dental and anesthesia workflows for veterinary hospitals. By replacing paper forms, Scout improves accuracy, boosts efficiency, and helps teams focus on patient care.

“As a practicing veterinarian, I experienced the frustration with paper forms firsthand,” said Gonzalo Erdozain, founder of Scout. “Unlike human hospitals that have dedicated teams for anesthesia, record-keeping, and everything in between, we have to do it all ourselves.”

Erdozain emphasized the mission behind Scout’s development.

“Let’s face it, we love our pets like family — sometimes even more” he said. “Isn’t it time we give them the same standard of care?”

Sisu (Erin Little), Baltimore, Maryland — A mental health platform that combines software and telehealth services, providing organizations with a holistic scalable, data-driven solution to support mental health with a multi-stakeholder approach.

“In 2021, the CDC reported one out of five teens attempted suicide, but the mental health wait time for a therapist is still over seven months,” said Erin Little, founder and CEO of Sisu. “Sisu was launched to address this crisis by providing data-driven solutions that ensure we’re supporting students at the right time, in the right way, with the right scale of resources.”

Russel Karim, SourceEazy, pitches during LaunchKC’s 2024 event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

SourceEazy (Russel Karim and Rebecca Arellano), Des Moines, Iowa — The first operating system designed to streamline the promotional industry’s supply chain by simplifying sourcing, production, and distribution through automated technology.

“We’re transforming how this industry works, so these promotional distributors, using our technology, are able to ensure ethical and sustainable sourcing through our verified and compliant factories around the world, and they’re able to streamline their operation,” Russel Karim said, explaining the impact of their innovation.

Donnie Hampton, Roz, pitches during LaunchKC’s 2024 event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Roz  (Donnie Hampton and Sarah Hampton), Kansas City, Missouri — AI-powered automation and intelligence to turn compliance into a strategic advantage, enabling leaders to make faster, smarter, risk-informed decisions and drive business growth.

Herston Fails and JQ Sirls, Storytailor, pitch during LaunchKC’s 2024 event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Storytailor (JQ Sirls and Herston Fails), Kansas City, Missouri  — A bibliotherapy platform enabling families to create personalized stories that foster emotional expression and self-discovery through the power of storytelling.

With a focus on diversity and inclusivity, co-founders JQ Sirls and Herston Fails have developed a tool that allows users to craft unique stories tailored to a child’s identity and experiences. 

“StoryTailor helps anyone, anywhere, in any language, create a personalized story for their child in under 90 seconds,” Sirls said.

RELATED: Storytailor pivots its AI-infused storytelling tech into therapy tool to combat childhood traumas

Check out a photo gallery from Tuesday’s LaunchKC celebration below.