Funding
Shawnee native sells another startup for over $1B with GM deal
General Motors is hoping to become the leader of self-driving car technology with the gargantuan acquisition of Cruise Automation, whose founder has a local tie. GM announced on March 11 that it purchased Cruise for more than $1 billion in a move that aims to accelerate the development of GM’s autonomous vehicle tech. Cruise…
Kansas’ angel tax credits score first victory but hurdles remain
A bill extending Kansas’ popular Angel Investor Tax Credits scored its first victory Thursday, but legislators must make quick work of the measure if the program is to survive. The Kansas House Committee on Taxation unanimously approved a measure to continue the program, which offers accredited investors a tax credit of up to $50,000 on…
Holt: Early-stage capital isn’t Kansas City’s biggest problem
Rack your brain and create a list of local tech businesses that have successfully raised early-stage capital in Kansas City. The list is actually quite extensive. Now try to list the tech firms that have raised later stage capital in Kansas City — defined as closing a round of $5 million or more. It’s going…
Austin’s ‘hostile attitude’ toward innovation, startup hub trends
Here’s this week’s dish on lesson’s learned from Austin’s “hostile attitude” toward innovation, booming non-Silicon Valley startup hubs and what startups can do for the future workforce. Check out more in this series here. AustinInno: Austin just scared off 1 of its ‘biggest supporters’ in Silicon Valley The Austin, Texas City Council’s recent decision to…
New $20M fund supercharges VC dollars in Kansas City
In conjunction with a metro-wide effort to boost the area economy, Kansas City will soon have a new co-investment fund that aims to accelerate early-stage businesses. As part of the KC Rising economic initiative, the “KC Rise Fund” hopes to improve a common gripe in Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community that there’s not enough capital to…
