Novel Capital teams with Crux KC to offer growth-focused marketing to early-stage tech companies
March 31, 2025 | Startland News Staff
An exclusive partnership between two Kansas City-based innovators is expected to help remove a traditional financial hurdle to business growth, said Ethan Whitehill, president and chief strategy officer for the KC Chamber-lauded marketing firm Crux KC.
The collaboration between Crux and Overland Park-headquartered capital provider Novel Capital is expected to offer B2B SaaS and tech companies a path to non-dilutive flexible financing for essential marketing services.
“This partnership is a game changer, not only for Crux and Novel Capital, but to the entire market as a first-of-its-kind funding tool with flexible terms for marketing services and fractional chief marketer guidance,” said Whitehill. “We are excited to dive into these innovative, entrepreneurial startups and help them make smart marketing investments that establish their brand, scale marketing ops and rev up sales.”
Capital, sales development and marketing are three major challenges every tech venture faces to get their business off the ground, he continued. With Novel Capital’s simple, flexible model providing finding to early-stage SaaS companies ready to grow, and Crux’s expertise in marketing and sales, founders get the startup fuel they need to accelerate growth.
Click here to learn more about Crux’s partnership with Novel Capital, which leverages real-time data and AI to provide analytics, fundraising strategy, and non-dilutive capital to B2B SaaS and tech companies.
A three-time finalist for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year or “Mr. K” award, Crux’s experience in the technology-as-a-service category — offering fractional CMO services backed by a team of specialists — includes client relationships with TreviPay, Super Dispatch and RX Savings Solutions.
“Crux’s growth-focused business approach aligns perfectly with our vision for the founders we work with every day,” said Keith Harrington, co-founder and chief operating officer of Novel Capital alongside fellow serial entrepreneur Carlos Antequera. “At Novel, we’ve funded more than 150 entrepreneurs with more than $100 million, fueling their growth and helping them deliver on their ambitions. By removing the barrier to entry for reliable financing and strategic marketing through this partnership, we are giving founders an alternative to banks and VCs as well as the chance to build something bigger than they ever imagined.”
Crux’s exclusive marketing services partnership with Novel Capital has already begun with both companies working together to identify high-growth enterprise SaaS and tech clients who would benefit from financed marketing services.
Featured Business

2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
(Video) ESHIP Summit attendees ask: Can entrepreneurial support efforts actually be sustainable?
When more than 600 attendees gathered this week in Kansas City for the second ESHIP Summit, they each came with their own ecosystems, businesses, local governments and support networks in mind. They also brought questions. “What are they doing in their cities? What’s worked and what hasn’t worked? What can we adopt back at home…
Four key moments led to SoftVu’s exit (three missteps kept it from happening sooner)
Deals like the acquisition of KC-based SoftVu by an Alabama private equity firm don’t happen overnight. And founder Tim Donnelly gives near-equal weight to the trials and triumphs that led the marketing platform to its big exit. “We’ve done as much as we possibly can based on the mistakes we’ve made, the lessons that have…
Eyeing added impact, AltCap expands its KC service area
AltCap — a Kansas City-based community development financial institution that focuses on underserved populations — is expanding its footprint. In response to small businesses’ growing demand for capital, AltCap will now serve the entire Kansas City metro, including the Kansas counties of Wyandotte, Johnson, and Leavenworth. The move will allow AltCap to finance more small…
KC comic book creator Juaquan Herron refuses to wait on Hollywood any longer
Juaquan Herron has been to LA and back. The 32-year-old got tired of waiting. “I couch surfed, had a child who was not with me, but a supportive wife, and every day I was like, ‘What in the hell am I doing?’” said Herron, an actor and filmmaker who returned to Kansas City after being…
