Funding

Ryan Cowdrey and Blake Herren, Raven 3D Printing

Raven’s return-to-earth science is complete, founder says; a new space accelerator will help get the KCK-built tech off the ground

By Tommy Felts / April 19, 2023

A KCK startup that could revolutionize space transportation is among 14 companies selected this week for an accelerator program from Amazon Web Services that focus on “transforming the future of space for all of humanity.” Kansas City-based Raven Space Systems — led by co-founders Ryan Cowdrey and Blake Herren — is building entirely 3D printed reentry…

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Tesseract earns $1.25M contract to help Space Force, military ‘predict the future’

By Tommy Felts / April 19, 2023

Industry-defining tools built by Kansas City’s Tesseract Ventures will help the U.S. Space Force accurately track machines, people and objects on base, and create a clearer understanding of launch conditions through next generation data visualization, said John Boucard. Tesseract announced Tuesday that the company has been awarded a direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation (SBIR) contract…

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Willy Schlacks and Jabbok Schlacks, EquipmentShare, Scale

EquipmentShare digs massive $290M round, deepening US footprint, its T3 tech platform

By Tommy Felts / April 19, 2023

COLUMBIA, Missouri — EquipmentShare, an equipment and digital solutions provider serving the construction industry, announced Wednesday the completion of a $290 million funding round led by a fund focused on family- and founder-led scaling businesses.  “Our growth continues to be fueled by new customers who are ready for a technology-driven construction solution,” said Jabbok Schlacks,…

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$500K Etsy grant expected to help AltCap offer microloans to artists, creative entrepreneurs

By Tommy Felts / April 14, 2023

AltCap this week announced a new partnership with the global marketplace Etsy to provide microloans to artists and creative entrepreneurs in America’s Heartland.  Etsy has awarded AltCap, an impact-focused small business lender, a $500,000 grant to provide $1,000 to $10,000 loans through the ARTcap Microloan Fund to artists and creative entrepreneurs in Kansas, Missouri and…

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LaunchKC winner shows value with $900K pre-seed round, earns critical local support

By Tommy Felts / April 8, 2023

Kansas City’s DataAppraisal has secured $900,000 in pre-seed funding for its AI-powered proprietary software that helps healthcare organizations unlock the monetary value of their enterprise data, said Tam Tran. And the tech startup’s recent developments come after a year of earning local resources and support, its co-founder and CEO said. DataAppraisal’s unique solution contains two…

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