Funding
United Way’s $2M Kauffman-backed Catalyst Fund just picked its first 22 nonprofit grantees
Leaders and organizations who are directly connected and engaged with their communities — especially communities of color — are essential to building a vibrant and inclusive Kansas City, said Gloria Jackson-Leathers, announcing a slew of grant winners from the new $2 million Nonprofit Catalyst Fund. “We are excited to see these grants begin to benefit small…
LendingStandard closes $6.7M round with Flyover Capital among key longterm investors
A Kansas City startup’s efforts to streamline the commercial real estate industry are not only reducing wasted time and frustration for lenders and borrowers, said Keith Molzer, it’s making good on investors’ expectations of the tech-driven Saas marketplace. “LendingStandard has listened and responded to what the market needs,” said Molzer, founding managing partner at Flyover…
PLOT digs into commercialization with $2M round, earns backing from KCRise Fund
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to Entrepreneurial Growth Ventures (EGV), a business unit of NetWork Kansas supporting innovative, high-growth entrepreneurs in the State of Kansas. WICHITA — A Wichita-based startup…
Esports startup with KC co-founder announces $3M in seed funding, targets Web3 gaming
An early funding round is expected to help a new professional esports organization expand the creator economy alongside its own footprint, said Nate Schanker, announcing a $3 million seed round for Boston-based M80, a startup coded with Kansas City talent. “We are building something special that the esports industry has never seen before and we…
Meet the cohort: Founder scaling Startup Weekend’s winning idea through Columbia venture fund, studio
COLUMBIA, Missouri — Winning Missouri Startup Weekend this spring put Chrystal Graves one step closer to revolutionizing the beauty industry, she shared, noting the victory helped secure her spot in the Scale venture fund and studio. “I have been passionate about helping salons be profitable and inclusive for a long time, but I thought building…
