All Stories

Andrea Savage, FeedKC, Pure Pitch Rally

UMKC student-led FeedKC will pitch for donations, connections at Pure Pitch Rally

By Tommy Felts / October 12, 2019

Continuing a tradition of showcasing student entrepreneurs, Tuesday’s Pure Pitch Rally is expected to feature a pitch from FeedKC, a group run by students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. And thanks to a private donor to the UMKC Bloch School of Management, all funds designated for FeedKC will be matched up to $10,000. Click…

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Ryan Weber, KC Tech Council; and Greg Kratofil, Polsinelli

Report: KC tech industry brings in $12B, attracts Hyperloop, but city still struggling to fill talent pool

By Tommy Felts / October 10, 2019

Despite facing a shortage of skilled talent, the tech industry in Kansas City contributed roughly $12 billion — or about 10 percent — to the local economy in 2018, according to an annual report released by the KC Tech Council, a nonprofit that aims to spur tech growth in the city. Nearly one in 10…

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Sandy Kemper, C2FO unicorn

Fresh off $200M funding haul, C2FO acquires India’s largest payment platform in bid to expand market position

By Tommy Felts / October 10, 2019

Kansas City-built C2FO will continue to expand its global prowess with the acquisition of India-based Priority Vendor, the startup announced Thursday.  “This is an important milestone in C2FO India’s journey,” said Pradeep Gode, C2FO’s country head for India, in a release about the acquisition of Priority Vendor — India’s largest early payment platform.  The move…

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The Woodsmiths

Playing for tips and contacts: Artist-entrepreneurs travel across Midwest to fill PorchFestKC with music

By Tommy Felts / October 10, 2019

Kansas City is a world-class destination for entrepreneurial musicians and artists hoping to hit high notes in business, said Dominic Roy. “I’m a singer-songwriter who’s trying to make it. I don’t want fame or glory or anything like that. I just want people to relate and I want people to feel what I’m trying to…

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Kathryn Golden, PorchFestKC

One-woman act with 68 stages: Kathryn Golden rallies 152 bands for PorchFestKC

By Tommy Felts / October 9, 2019

A front porch concert isn’t the typical way to meet your neighbors, Kathryn Golden admitted, but it’s unconventional experiences like those that truly unite communities, the PorchFestKC founder said from atop a stoop in the Midtown Roanoke neighborhood. PorchFestKC — the city’s original porch-packed community music celebration, which returns Saturday for its fifth year —…

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Is KC getting lapped? Kansas City scores No. 13 among Top 25 Midwestern cities in M25 ranking

By Tommy Felts / October 8, 2019

Kansas City is maintaining a spot firmly in the middle of the pack among the top 25 Midwestern startup cities — in large part thanks to a $100-plus million growth equity investment in PayIt earlier this year, according to a new ranking by M25. The mega-round for Kansas City’s leading GovTech startup kept the City…

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Lauren Conaway, InnovateHER KC

Plexpod rebrands womxn-led Herspace coworking concept with InnovateHER KC partnership

By Tommy Felts / October 8, 2019

A year after Plexpod unveiled its Herspace concept at Westport Commons, a womxn-centric community and networking organization is partnering with the coworking leader to provide reinvigorated programming and support for startup leaders, Lauren Conaway said. “We’re really excited to show off this beautiful gathering place that the Plexpod team has created,” said Conaway, founder and…

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Jeff Jones, H&R Block

H&R Block’s $2M investment in KCRise Fund: Corporate engagement can’t stop with one check, CEO says

By Tommy Felts / October 7, 2019

Entrepreneurial energy surrounding such startups as Bungii and PayIt made a $2 million investment in the KCRise Fund an easy choice for Jeff Jones and his team at H&R Block, the high-profile CEO said.  “When we think about the different pillars of how we want to give back to the community, taking a stake in…

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David Biga, Particle Space, Startup Crawl KC

Photos: Startup Crawl KC draws 1,000+ to the Crossroads, despite First Fridays overhaul

By Tommy Felts / October 7, 2019

Mission accomplished, said organizers of Startup Crawl KC, announcing record attendance during the fifth showing of the innovation expo.  “Best Startup Crawl ever,” said Gerald Smith, co-founder of Plexpod — which played host Oct. 4 to one of the Crawl’s three stops at its Crossroads Arts District location.  More than 1,000 guests descended on the…

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Kansas City

New in KC: Tech talent returns to his hometown 20 years after leaving a city ‘hollowed out at its core’

By Tommy Felts / October 3, 2019

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what’ they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. Josh Wood describes his journey in tech as varied, not…

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