Funding
Angels in class: How Mizzou’s student-run venture course is investing up to $50K in real startups
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. COLUMBIA,…
KC’s first Vietnamese coffee shop brews $20K at AltCap Your Biz; other winners include an urban farm, development company and selfie studio
Cafe Cà Phê can now afford to build bathrooms in its anticipated brick-and-mortar coffee location, Jackie Nguyen teased on Instagram after being awarded the grand prize at the 2021 AltCap Your Biz: Pitch Competition. “The $20,000 will go toward helping build that out — getting new appliances, [hiring] new employees because we’ve outgrown our cart….
How Finotta emerged from 2020’s perils with a leap of faith, $3M investment banked
The through line of Parker Graham’s startup journey so far: resiliency. “People like to joke that cockroaches just don’t die,” laughed Graham, reflecting after his fintech company, Finotta — more pheonix rising than cockroach surviving — recently closed a $3 million seed funding round and completely changed the makeup of its team. “I feel like…
Husch Blackwell opens pitch contest for early-stage startups, welcoming KC to apply
Editor’s note: Husch Blackwell is a financial supporter of Startland News. This report was produced independently for Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. Startups in Kansas City and nationwide have the opportunity to compete for $25,000 in cash plus pro bono services in an upcoming pitch contest organized by a leading law firm. Get Started Omaha has…
Menufy sale scales HungerRush to more than 500 workers, 20,000 restaurants, KC co-founder says
Growth isn’t new to the menu for Menufy’s Leawood based team, said Sharmil Desai, noting the online platform for restaurants had grown to 140 employees before its freshly announced acquisition by HungerRush. “I can’t think of any point when Menufy has not been adding and expanding,” Desai, co-founder and CEO of Menufy, told Startland News….
