Funding

Davyeon Ross, ShotTracker

Verizon dials into ShotTracker’s 5G potential, leading $11M financing round for veteran startup

By Tommy Felts / January 15, 2021

One of Kansas City’s most celebrated startups is getting a boost as a new $11 million financing round led by Verizon Ventures and Evertz Technologies Limited takes the court. Funding is expected to support accelerated product deployment across NCAA basketball conferences and expand remote live sports production in the cloud with 5G enabledtech for venues,…

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Joe Allen, Brad Starnes, Nolan McMichael, Splitsy

Meet the latest tech startups joining the ranks of Digital Sandbox KC in the new year

By Tommy Felts / January 12, 2021

A new year means a jump-started opening for Splitsy and two other Kansas City startups joining the roster of Digital Sandbox KC-funded companies, said Brad Starnes. “We could not thank the Sandbox enough for the opportunity to be in a position to dominate our market quickly and efficiently,” said Starnes, president and co-founder of Olathe-based…

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Shari Coulter Ford, Tohi Ventures

Fund Me, KC: Tohi Ventures pours pandemic lemons into healthy drink donation effort

By Tommy Felts / January 11, 2021

Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses or lend a helping hand to others. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like Shari Coulter Ford’s campaign to donate healthy drinks to food banks — to share their crowdfunding stories to gain a little help…

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Valentine Osakwe and Zerryn Gines, Peep Connect

How challenging norms could be Black founders’ key to overcoming lingering funding gap

By Tommy Felts / January 5, 2021

When authenticity and startup culture collide, Black founders and entrepreneurs of color often don’t see the same opportunities as their white counterparts, said Daniel Smith, contributing to a gap in funding that splits along racial lines. “I talk a certain way; I have different mannerisms; I like to dress a certain kind of way —…

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Joshua Lewis, UpDown Nightlife

UpDown Nightlife set to relaunch app; secures lead investor for $500K seed round 

By Tommy Felts / January 5, 2021

When COVID-19 turned out the lights on nightlife in 2020, Joshua Lewis didn’t go into panic mode, he said. The persistent founder used the time to flesh out his app’s tech platform — and in the process found a key funder for UpDown Nightlife. “This is our first real round of funding where we’re able to…

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