Funding

Rajesh Nair and Mani Raman, Yotabites

KC boutique big data startup Yotabites planned its big exit for 2025 — a buyer came five years early

By Tommy Felts / November 9, 2019

Starting with a laser-focus on attacking big data’s fundamental problems, Lenexa-based Yotabites is announcing its acquisition from Oregon-based ProKarma, said Rajesh Nair, noting the sale fell many years ahead of schedule for the forward-thinking startup. “It really started out as a combination of things for us: from [seeing a lack of] creativity in the big…

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Matt DeCoursey, Startup Hustle's live podcast at Startland's Innovation Exchange

Check in: Full Scale’s $1M investment pledge already impacting startups like Mixtape, DivvyHQ

By Tommy Felts / November 2, 2019

Nearly nine months after pledging to invest $1 million worth of Full Scale’s development resources in Kansas City startups, impact already is clear among numerous companies, said Matt DeCoursey, who has leveraged a podcast and “Suite and Greet” networking to build deeper connections to the local innovation community. “We have the ability to help a…

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Co-founder trio invests $4.75M in KC RentTech startup Simplifyy, aiming for 500 percent growth in use

By Tommy Felts / November 2, 2019

It’s about motivation, said Robert Henrichs, describing the co-founders of Kansas City-based Simplifyy’s decision to invest $4.75 million in the RentTech startup. “There is a lot of confidence around the venture because the founders have years of industry experience and recognize it is primed for disruption,” said Henrichs, who is responsible for marketing at Simplifyy.…

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ADOBO

Venture deal rooted in Kauffman Fellows aligns Novel Growth, Flyover Capital behind Wisconsin urban tech startup

By Tommy Felts / October 31, 2019

Two funds are better than one, Carlos Antequera said, announcing a one-of-a-kind partnership between top venture firms with Kauffman Fellows roots.  “Since our inception, our mission has been to provide innovative growth capital options for technology entrepreneurs,” Antequera, co-founder of Novel Growth Partners, said of the Mission, Kansas, revenue-based financing firm’s collaboration with Overland Park-based…

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Digital Sandbox KC cohort; Mario Pabaroue, Len Frye and Brandon Dunlap, FilmDove Inc.; A.J. Mellott, Ronawk LLC; and Sunti Wathanacharoen, Pulmonaer Analytics LLC

Digital Sandbox KC selects diverse health, AI and filmmaking startups for latest funding

By Tommy Felts / October 24, 2019

The latest trio of Digital Sandbox KC companies pushes the proof-of-concept program deeper into Johnson County with a new Overland Park partnership. “This group showcases the wide spectrum of businesses assisted by the Sandbox, from a data platform for creative filmmakers and studios, to improved patient care in asthma, to biologics in regenerative medicine,” said…

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