Funding

Meet 7 startups just funded to turn potential into Kansas City-built tech innovation

By Tommy Felts / July 7, 2025

The latest crop of Digital Sandbox KC companies — earning up to $20,000 in project funding for their concepts — are poised to make significant impacts within their industries, said Jill Meyer, noting a through-line from digital health to AI-powered construction and fantasy sports solutions. “These exciting innovations show some great promise, and we’re honored…

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Game on: Kauffman adds 37 nonprofits to its just-funded roster, building impact capacity ahead of World Cup

By Tommy Felts / July 1, 2025

Efforts to boost economic mobility across Kansas City and beyond needn’t follow a well-worn playbook, Kauffman Foundation officials said, announcing a range of newly funded initiatives — from grassroots entrepreneurial training to World Cup-focused public-private partnerships to capital access expansion. The influential philanthropic organization announced this week it awarded $8.5 million in grants to 37…

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Investors laud emerging founder’s expertise as CarePilot logs $2.5M for AI healthtech tool

By Tommy Felts / June 24, 2025

It’s rare for a regional venture capital firm like KCRise Fund to invest in an entrepreneur just out of college, the Midwest-focused firm told Startland News, detailing the remarkable talent that led it to join an early round for Joseph Tutera’s digital health startup. Overland Park-based CarePilot recently announced a $2.5 million seed round led…

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How this startup founder earned $200K in unrestricted, trust-based funding to transform KC’s relationship to food

By Tommy Felts / June 19, 2025

Long-term community change comes one meal at a time, acknowledged one of Attane Health’s biggest supporters, reflecting on the Kansas City startup’s growth from the “spark of an idea to a full-fledged solution” — ultimately earning its founder a game-changing funding boost. The St. Louis-based Missouri Foundation for Health this month announced its inaugural Spark Prize…

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Kauffman awards $5.8M funding pipeline to research how to close wealth gaps in KC, beyond

By Tommy Felts / June 18, 2025

Eight newly announced research grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation are expected to help catalyze research-based efforts aimed at growing equitable economic mobility in Kansas City, regionally, and nationally. More than $5.8 million in research funding will be disbursed over the next three years through this first round of grantmaking through Kauffman’s new research…

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