Funding

hometown capital

Think globally, invest locally: Are KC dollars worth more than outside capital?

By Tommy Felts / August 22, 2018

Hometown capital is validating, said Darcy Howe, but it isn’t everything. Half of the firms in Startland’s 2018 list of Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies in Kansas City received 50 percent or more of their funding from KC investors — a promising indicator of local support that suggests to outside investors that a company is ready…

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Top VC-Backed

2018 Top VC-Backed Companies in Kansas City List

By Tommy Felts / August 22, 2018

The Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies in Kansas City List recognizes the growing cohort of growth-stage, venture-backed companies in the Kansas City metro — further illustrating the impact of the countless efforts aimed at boosting entrepreneurship in the region and creating a productive dialogue. The list is expected to be updated and published annually. The 2018…

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DivvyHQ

DivvyHQ landed Novel’s first investment by avoiding hockey-stick growth, co-founder says

By Tommy Felts / August 21, 2018

It was a marriage of the minds, said DivvyHQ co-founder Brody Dorland, describing his marketing tech firm’s recent investment from Novel Growth Partners. The company’s leadership — Dorland and co-founder Brock Stechman — is honored to be recipients of NGP’s first investment, Dorland said. But the pairing didn’t come by accident, he added. “I think they viewed…

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Land Sharks

Pure Pitch Rally returning to Techweek with land sharks hungry to invest more than $80K

By Tommy Felts / August 17, 2018

A frenzy of land sharks ready to bite on startups’ best ideas is gathering at The American restaurant during Techweek to award up to $80,000 in cash and $500,000 in Amazon AWS Activate credits. The one-of-a-kind Pure Pitch Rally event — set for 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Oct 10 — plays off the hit…

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Mary Kay O'Connor, PatientsVoices

KC-based PatientsVoices pulls $150K in first round of seed capital, additional $75K from MTC

By Tommy Felts / July 6, 2018

Competing for a spot in a Nashville-based health tech accelerator, PatientsVoices landed its first round of seed capital — with a booster shot from the State of Missouri. A $150,000 innovation grant from Jumpstart Foundry investment group represents a leap forward for PatientsVoices, headquartered in iWerx’s North Kansas City entrepreneurial development center, said founder and…

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