All Stories

Alchemy Sandbox winners lean into challenge of live pitches as Porter House KC awards third-round checks

By Tommy Felts / September 24, 2022

A third round of Alchemy Sandbox winners each walked away with more than a $5,000 check this week after an intense live pitch experience for the entrepreneurs behind three Kansas City Main Street ventures and two support organizations for Black businesses. “It was interesting to see how I had all this information in my head,…

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Tech piloted in KC classrooms went viral, now Boddle has raised $3M in seed funding

By Tommy Felts / September 23, 2022

TULSA — Funding for its rapidly scaling education gaming platform is expected to fuel Boddle Learning’s nationwide growth, as well as help the startup expand its product offerings outside of math and develop new interactive multiplayer experiences. “It’s always been one of our goals to inspire learning anywhere,” said Edna Martinson, co-founder of Boddle, describing…

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Matt Moody, Bellwethr

Bellwethr acquired by ecommerce payments platform; merger to boost Shopify brands

By Tommy Felts / September 22, 2022

A Kansas City startup’s machine learning tech is expected to bring its new owner’s vision to reality: driving new revenue for Shopify brands plagued by churn among subscribers. Bellwethr announced the acquisition Thursday, detailing the company’s merger with Park City, Utah-based Retextion. As part of the undisclosed deal, Retextion will integrate Bellwethr’s popular churn reduction…

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Justin Davis, BacklotCars; Back2KC 2018

BacklotCars co-founder set to be honored as UMKC’s regional Entrepreneur of the Year

By Tommy Felts / September 22, 2022

A founder who helped drive one of the metro’s biggest startup exits is expected to be heralded in October as UMKC’s Kansas City Entrepreneur of the Year. Justin Davis, co-founder and CEO of BacklotCars, will take the stage Oct. 12 alongside five other honorees — business leaders who have shaped entrepreneurship, according to officials at…

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His fitness app pays users to workout, but what they really want is body transformation, founder says

By Tommy Felts / September 22, 2022

Jasper Sanders founded Deposit The Work to incentivize users to stick with their fitness goals, he shared, but now he’s emphasizing accountability with the app’s latest feature. “The whole idea behind CoachConnect+ is providing a platform for individuals who are stuck on their fitness journey, unsure on where to start, [or] don’t know how to…

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Troost coffee shop ‘broken into pieces’ by collision; caffeinated supporters jump to action   

By Tommy Felts / September 21, 2022

A community of customers and neighbors is rallying behind Anchor Island Coffee this week after a pickup truck barreled into the front entrance of the tropical-themed breakfast spot at 41st and Troost. Fortunately no one was injured in the after-hours incident, said co-owner Armando Vasquez, who noted he was the last person to leave the…

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KC innovator’s anti-itch spray so natural it was discovered on a front porch lab

By Tommy Felts / September 21, 2022

Homindy founder Ronan Molloy discovered the benefits of his company’s itch relief spray somewhat by accident. During the summer of 2020, Molloy volunteered to participate in a clinical study for a tea with all-natural ingredients that was supposed to reduce inflammation in his right knee. At that time, he was president of the Innovation Stockyard,…

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KC capital implants cattle tech startup with fuel to scale, expanding IVF labs, headcount 

By Tommy Felts / September 20, 2022

Livestock production has seen a remarkable transformation since Kerryann Kocher was growing up on her family’s sixth-generation farm in northeast Iowa, the Vytelle CEO said. Instead of just selecting the cow that looks best and bringing in the neighbor’s bull for breeding, as she remembers it, Kocher and Vytelle — a Kansas City-based precision livestock…

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Venture experts: Getting your first check in KC is too difficult, but a record influx of coastal investors isn’t a bad substitute

By Tommy Felts / September 20, 2022

A new report on Kansas City’s venture-backed companies showed year-over-year growth in multiple areas — impressing industry experts who identified key investment trends in the data. More companies with venture capital backing; higher employee counts; a 58 percent boost in fundraising. Yet growth was not universal. Despite gains in top-line figures, the number of Kansas City-based…

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RX Savings Solutions sale would see the startup acquired for up to $875M in KC’s biggest-ever exit

By Tommy Felts / September 19, 2022

The McKesson Corporation has agreed to purchase Overland Park-prescribed Rx Savings Solutions in a deal worth nearly $1 billion.  McKesson announced Monday that it had entered into an agreement with the prescription pricing startup valued at up to $875 million — more than double the $425 million price tag for which Kansas City-built Backlot Cars…

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