Funding

UMKC receives $12.97M grant from Kauffman Foundation to boost barrier breaking across KC region, beyond

By Tommy Felts / January 5, 2023

Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial supporter of Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. New grant provides support to continue and expand entrepreneurship programs on the UMKC campus and across the Kansas City region The University of Missouri-Kansas City has received a historic, five-year, $12.97 million grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation…

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Scott Ford, Pepper

KC startup Pepper secures deal to create new IoT platform with investment from Comcast

By Tommy Felts / December 22, 2022

The merging of a homegrown IoT startup’s tech and a corporate innovator’s existing smart property management system is expected to accelerate growth for Kansas City-built Pepper, said Scott Ford. The companies on Wednesday announced Pepper and Notion — Comcast’s insurtech business unit — had joined to create a new IoT and smart home platform that…

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HERImpact $50K pitch competition returning March 8; Here’s how KC women entrepreneurs can apply

By Tommy Felts / December 16, 2022

Women business owners and social entrepreneurs in Kansas City are encouraged to compete this spring for up to $50,000 in a Shark Tank-style funding event aimed at investing in women’s ambitions to start and scale local businesses. “Expanding access to capital and mentorship is critical to women’s success as they start their own businesses,” said…

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‘Every business matters, every job matters’: How $69M in federal funds is already boosting KS entrepreneurs

By Tommy Felts / December 13, 2022

Kansas will use a recent influx of federal funding to strengthen the state’s small business and venture capital ecosystems, according to project leaders of a new high-profile effort focusing on equitable access. The state was allocated $69 million earlier this year as part of the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), a federal program that…

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