All Stories

Columbia-based EquipmentShare plans to hire 20 techies at new KC office

By Tommy Felts / January 13, 2017

A rapidly-growing startup based in Columbia, Mo., is planning to open its technical hub in Kansas City. As it expands around the nation, EquipmentShare co-founder Willy Schlacks said he’s hoping to hire about 20 software and web developers for the firm, which has been touted as the “Airbnb for construction equipment.” EquipmentShare created a peer-to-peer…

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Funding opportunities for educators, artists, entrepreneurs

By Tommy Felts / January 12, 2017

Half the of the battle of raising capital is finding the right opportunity. To give you a hand, we’ve gathered some timely opportunities so you don’t have to. Here’s more on funding opportunities with deadlines drawing near: AT&T Aspire Accelerator Application deadline: Feb. 7 Ed-tech ventures are encouraged to apply for the 2017 AT&T Aspire…

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Brian Kearns: Get outside of your startup bubble

By Tommy Felts / January 12, 2017

What’s so special about Silicon Valley, Hollywood or New York? I’ll give you a hint: bad barbecue. Just kidding. These are the places you go when you want to build the next “unicorn,” become a big star or bask in the bright lights of Broadway. The dream you often hear whispered backstage is, “I want…

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Virgin Mobile takes to downtown skyline for HQ, plans to hire 100

By Tommy Felts / January 12, 2017

About six months after announcing its move to Kansas City, Virgin Mobile has selected the site of its new headquarters.   Virgin Mobile announced Wednesday that the firm signed a lease at One Kansas City Place at 1200 Main St. in downtown Kansas City. Virgin selected Kansas City as the location for its new headquarters…

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New app Miles wants to soothe the pain of mileage tracking

By Tommy Felts / January 11, 2017

The stability of a 9 – 5 corporate work day is fading away, as many entrepreneurs know. Many people are entering the “freelance workforce,” leaving the predictability of a regular paycheck behind. Although this arrangement brings freedoms, it may make things more complicated during tax season. This culture shift inspired serial entrepreneur and software developer…

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Five Elms Capital leads $7.4M round in San Diego firm

By Tommy Felts / January 11, 2017

Five Elms Capital is the lead investor in a $7.4 million finance round for a San Diego-based security firm. The Kansas City-based investment group is backing Trackforce, a SaaS provider of operations management tools for security guard operators. The company’s GuardTek software suite is used by more than 80,000 users at over 8,000 sites in…

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Rockstar team forming at KC-based Firebrand Ventures

By Tommy Felts / January 11, 2017

A venture fund’s success is determined by its ability to find and evaluate the best deals. And that job is a whole lot easier when you have a team with decades of technology investment experience guiding your decisions — as is the case with Kansas City-based Firebrand Ventures. Launched in July by John Fein, Firebrand…

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Charlotte Street Foundation launches program for arts, culture startups

By Tommy Felts / January 10, 2017

The Kansas City-based Charlotte Street Foundation is launching a program to support emerging arts and culture startups in the area. The foundation’s “Startup Residency” program will offer its participants 12 months of free storefront space at Charlotte Street’s Project Space in downtown Kansas City, professional development training, mentoring and marketing opportunities. “We noticed that a…

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International business program ScaleUpU taps KC as inaugural city

By Tommy Felts / January 10, 2017

Kansas City has been nationally recognized for its plethora of startup resources. And thanks to the launch of a new, international program, the area has more opportunities to grow its mid-sized firms that hope to become Kansas City’s next billion-dollar business. After its launch in January, ScaleUpU aims to take 15 midsized Kansas City companies…

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Events Preview: Second Friday at Village Square

By Tommy Felts / January 10, 2017

There are a plethora of entrepreneurial events hosted in Kansas City on a weekly basis. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, supporter, or curious community member — we recommend these upcoming events for you. Weekly Events Preview Focus on Yourself in the New Year: Expert Panel Discussion on Career Advancement for Marketing Communicators When: Jan. 10,…

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