Funding

Pure Pitch Rally 2019; photo by Mikaela Wendel

Baiting the sharks: How much on-the-spot funding did founders catch at Pure Pitch Rally?

By Tommy Felts / October 18, 2019

A diverse group of entrepreneurs took home $43,000 in cash prizes from Tuesday’s Pure Pitch Rally at The American restaurant. Emulating the popular TV show “Shark Tank,” about 45 investors — or “land sharks” — evaluated presentations from eight Kansas City tech startups and donated $1,000 to one of the companies at the conclusion of…

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Is KC getting lapped? Kansas City scores No. 13 among Top 25 Midwestern cities in M25 ranking

By Tommy Felts / October 8, 2019

Kansas City is maintaining a spot firmly in the middle of the pack among the top 25 Midwestern startup cities — in large part thanks to a $100-plus million growth equity investment in PayIt earlier this year, according to a new ranking by M25. The mega-round for Kansas City’s leading GovTech startup kept the City…

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Jeff Jones, H&R Block

H&R Block’s $2M investment in KCRise Fund: Corporate engagement can’t stop with one check, CEO says

By Tommy Felts / October 7, 2019

Entrepreneurial energy surrounding such startups as Bungii and PayIt made a $2 million investment in the KCRise Fund an easy choice for Jeff Jones and his team at H&R Block, the high-profile CEO said.  “When we think about the different pillars of how we want to give back to the community, taking a stake in…

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Voting with cash: Meet the 8 Kansas City tech startups competing in the Pure Pitch Rally

By Tommy Felts / September 25, 2019

The landsharks are circling and eight hungry tech founders are ready to sell their ideas at the fourth annual, invite-only Pure Pitch Rally, the early-stage funding platform announced Wednesday.  “In Kansas City, we have the business soul and hunger to help others — through both community crowdsourced giving and offering others a stepping stone to…

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Hiroshi Nerima, Nabtesco Technology Ventures; Barbara Burger, Chevron Technology Ventures; Jeff Kostos, Spear Power Systems; and Gina Domanig, Emerald Technology Ventures

Global, KC investors charge Grandview-based battery innovator with 8-figure funding round

By Tommy Felts / September 24, 2019

A Grandview-based leader in battery technology is building a charge for expansion as Spear Power Systems announced this week an eight-figure funding round with world-spanning reach and headline-grabbing international investors. “We are pleased with the quality and synergy of the syndicate,” said Jeff Kostos, president and CEO of Spear. “This investment enables Spear to scale…

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