Funding

It’s sweet victory for Brown Suga; KC’s favorite cookie crew wins AltCap Your Biz (and a $25K treat)

By Tommy Felts / November 21, 2024

After winning the $25,000 grand prize at Wednesday’s AltCap Your Biz pitch competition, Brown Suga will get some cookie-shaped new wheels, shared founder Ebony Paul. Before opening a brick-and-mortar in Olathe, the cookie bakery launched in 2020 selling at pop-ups and community events. Adding a food truck will help Brown Suga continue to hit the…

Read More >

Just funded: LaunchKC unveils 7 newest grant winners, topping $385K in startup capital

By Tommy Felts / November 20, 2024

LaunchKC’s big reveal Tuesday was about more than checking a box — or getting hands on oversized checks — with grant competition winners taking the stage to introduce their companies to an eager community of supporters, entrepreneurs and investors.  “This event is incredible,” said Donnie Hampton, co-founder of Roz, one of seven startups honored Tuesday…

Read More >

KC-built Raven Space Systems awarded $1.8M contract via Air Force’s innovation arm

By Tommy Felts / November 19, 2024

A LaunchKC alum’s latest stratospheric news: a hefty U.S. defense contract to produce 3D-printed reentry aeroshells for hypersonic flight testing — a breakthrough technology that’s expected to address some of the of most pressing challenges faced by today’s Air Force. Raven Space Systems on Monday announced the $1,800,000 STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) Phase II contract.…

Read More >

Young mom’s apparel for crawling babies wins best fit for UMKC Side Hustle Challenge

By Tommy Felts / November 15, 2024

Riley Rhoads knows firsthand how overwhelming it is to shop for baby clothes, the University of Missouri-Kansas City student and new mother shared, so she created a product to help fellow moms. Hold Tight Baby — Rhoads’ venture that earned her first place at UMKC’s Side Hustle Challenge — makes pants for crawling babies. The…

Read More >

$11.2M+ awarded: 53 orgs tapped for first-ever tranche of Kauffman capacity building grants

By Tommy Felts / November 11, 2024

A new grantmaking strategy from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is manifesting through an inaugural round of funding to local and outside organizations whose work supports the priorities of college access and completion, workforce and career development, and entrepreneurship. The Kauffman Foundation on Monday announced its first tranche of grants — totaling more than $11.2…

Read More >
[adinserter block="4"]