Funding
GIFT launches We Are Black pitch competition with 10 entrepreneurs vying for $60K
Editor’s note: Kansas City G.I.F.T. is a non-financial partner of Startland News. 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 is…
KC, Wichita, Topeka startups earn share of $100K as K-State accelerator spreads prize money across region
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…
HERImpact awards $50K: Prize money expected to help pop-up scale into its own space
Editor’s note: 1863 Ventures is an advertiser with Startland News, though this report was produced independently by the nonprofit newsroom. 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 escaped…
‘Shark Tank’ sets stage for Bryght Labs’ new smart play product rollout amid MO funding uptick
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…
C2FO: $10M investment from Starbucks CEO will unlock $100M in loans to small, diverse businesses
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…
