Funding

Karis Harrington, right, chief of business development at Kansas City G.I.F.T.

GIFT launches We Are Black pitch competition with 10 entrepreneurs vying for $60K

By Tommy Felts / March 16, 2023

Editor’s note: Kansas City G.I.F.T. is a non-financial partner of Startland News. [divide] Ten Black-owned Kansas City businesses are expected to pitch March 24 for their share of $60,000 at what organizers hope will become an annual event that helps to close the funding gap for entrepreneurs of color. The We Are Black pitch competition…

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KC, Wichita, Topeka startups earn share of $100K as K-State accelerator spreads prize money across region

By Tommy Felts / March 10, 2023

MANHATTAN — A demo day with $100,000 on the line culminated in a Kansas City startup leaving the stage with the event’s second-highest winnings. Poshed on the Go earned $23,500 in funding Thursday from the Kansas State University Accelerator program, coming in just behind the grand-prize winner, PillReady, Wichita, with $36,000. The Shawnee-based company is…

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HERImpact awards $50K: Prize money expected to help pop-up scale into its own space

By Tommy Felts / March 9, 2023

Editor’s note: 1863 Ventures is an advertiser with Startland News, though this report was produced independently by the nonprofit newsroom. [divide] Tirza Design allows consumers to support cause-based brands and survivors of human trafficking, exploitation, and other forms of abuse, detailed Nikkie Affholter, noting her venture also meets the need of bringing dignified employment to women who’ve…

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‘Shark Tank’ sets stage for Bryght Labs’ new smart play product rollout amid MO funding uptick

By Tommy Felts / March 7, 2023

Fresh off a successful appearance on “Shark Tank,” Olathe-based connected gaming startup Bryght Labs hopes to capitalize on that exposure to build momentum, said founder and CEO Jeff Wigh. Wigh and co-founder Adam Roush were featured on an episode that aired in December, pitching their product ChessUp, a patented chess board that uses AI technology…

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C2FO: $10M investment from Starbucks CEO will unlock $100M in loans to small, diverse businesses

By Tommy Felts / March 7, 2023

One of Kansas City’s most successful scaling startups announced Tuesday a new initiative — funded by Sheri Schultz and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz — to provide access to $100 million in working capital for small and diverse businesses. The partnership — designed to use Leawood-based C2FO’s innovative lending approach to deliver flexible, equitable access to…

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