Funding

KC Pioneers leadership team 2021

KC Pioneers secure six-figure funding from up-and-coming investment firm backed by MySidewalk exec

By Tommy Felts / August 19, 2021

“Investment” goes deeper than simply writing a check, Mark Josey said, noting Kansas City’s premier esports league plans on being intentional in raising its $2 million seed round.  “When you’re looking for partners, investors and sponsors, it starts at the core with asking: Do they believe in our mission, vision and value? Do they have…

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Nika Cotton makes a drink at Soulcentricitea, which she opened on Troost Ave. last July. Cotton applied for a grant from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, but did not receive any money. Photo by Zach Bauman/The Beacon

Beacon analysis: Restaurant relief funds flowed to whiter, more affluent areas of Kansas City

By Tommy Felts / August 18, 2021

Editor’s note: The following story was originally published by The Kansas City Beacon, a nonprofit, public-service journalism newsroom serving Kansas and Missouri. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for the free Kansas City Beacon email newsletter. Local businesses received a total of $53 million from the fund, but few of those dollars flowed…

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Carlanda McKinney, Bodify

Bodify joins Tulsa accelerator with $70K investment, ‘knocking down a lot of dominoes’

By Tommy Felts / August 14, 2021

One of Kansas City’s most tenacious founders is in the midst of an intensive, six-month accelerator aimed at bringing her fashion tech startup to revenue without decreasing her ownership stake in the company. “Follow-on investment is nice, but you don’t have a company without revenue,” said Carlanda McKinney, founder and CEO of Bodify. “For me,…

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eHawk team 2021

Why KCRise Fund chose a Lee’s Summit-built criminal justice smartphone app for its first lead investment

By Tommy Felts / August 5, 2021

A Kansas City startup’s smartphone-enabled alternative to ankle monitors taps into a huge courts and corrections market — with the potential for tremendous cost savings and societal impact, said Darcy Howe. And that docket of benefits presents a unique opportunity for KCRise Fund, which this week announced its lead investment in Lee’s Summit-based eHawk, added…

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Matt Miquelon, Sohit Wadhwa, Anupama Vaid, and Bill Frenzel, ParentSquare

ParentSquare notches growth investment, fueled by KC startup acquisition, pandemic trends

By Tommy Felts / August 5, 2021

A significant growth investment is expected to help push edtech platform ParentSquare’s expansion into new markets and products — nearly 18 months after the Santa Barbara company announced the acquisition of a Kansas City startup’s school communication app. The undisclosed investment by Serent Capital also follows ParentSquare’s successful navigation of pandemic-era communication needs between parents…

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