Funding

Zego exit, investment wins reflect critical need for startups to look outside KC, co-founder says

By Tommy Felts / May 10, 2019

Homegrown is great, Adam Blake said, but at some point scaling companies must explore the world of resources and dollars available outside the metro. “Kansas City has a lot to offer — plenty of talent, great place to live and quality of life, helpful mentors, etc. — but I would say it’s a requirement for startups…

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DeepLens, Regnier Venture Creation Challenge

UMKC awards students $75K in prizes at Regnier Venture Creation Challenge

By Tommy Felts / May 8, 2019

Student startups are growing rapidly on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, said Bryan Boots. Such acceleration has been further propelled thanks to the recent distribution of $75,000 in prize money, awarded to a series of winners of the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge Competition May 2-3, split across events at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation…

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Adam Blake, Zego PayLease

KC’s Zego acquired by San Diego firm; CEO’s smart home tech innovation to continue

By Tommy Felts / May 7, 2019

Two years after leaving the successful energy company he founded for the quick pace of startup life, Adam Blake is again making a big exit. His smart home technology firm, Zego, has been acquired by a San Diego-based leader in the property management industry, the startup announced Tuesday. Terms of the deal with PayLease were…

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Hyped from high school: Blue Valley teens among startup cash winners at K-State challenge

By Tommy Felts / May 3, 2019

Four Overland Park high school students have landed cash infusions totaling more than $7,000 for their ongoing startup ventures. Local winners of the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge — supported by Network KS, sponsored by the Kansas Masonic Foundation, and hosted by Kansas State University — included: Drone Estate founders Austin Jones and Hunter Vasquez, Blue Valley West…

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Rogue Games

After $1.25M seed round, Sprint alumni credit KC roots for Rogue Games’ agility, hungry hustle

By Tommy Felts / April 23, 2019

At just over 2 years old, a formerly indie mobile game publisher is rocketing to the top of its industry, with one of its founders attributing LA-based Rogue Games’ success to its origins in KC. “We take pride that our Kansas City roots have given us an edge in the industry, to be honest with…

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