Investors

Investor John Fein offers 8 tips to hook a VC

Editor’s Note: John Fein recently announced his departure from Techstars to lead a new $7 million venture fund. The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. For the past three Techstars programs in Kansas City, the most important aspect of my job as managing director has been deciding which companies to invite into…

Exclusive: John Fein departing Techstars to lead new $7M Midwest venture fund

After three years with the Kansas City-based Sprint Accelerator, John Fein is moving on to lead a venture fund that has ambitious Midwestern plans. Fein, who’s served as the managing director at the Techstars-led accelerator since 2014, will serve his last day with the organization on July 31. With decades of fast-paced startup experience, Fein…

cash money

Mid-America Angels set for second consecutive record-breaking year

The Mid-America Angels is poised to make 2016 a record-breaking year. The area investment group already has deployed $1.7 million via seven deals in the first six months of 2016, setting pace for its biggest year of investment in its ten-year history. In 2015, the firm set a record for its amount of capital deployed,…

equity funding

Survey: KC is sticky for startups with equity funding

A majority of Kansas City startups choose to maintain their hometown roots after they raise capital — even when the funds come from outside investors, a recent survey found. Of the companies that raised money in 2013 and 2014, 74 percent of them are still active and headquartered in the City of Fountains, according to…

KCSourceLink: Improving startups’ access to capital ‘a marathon, not a sprint’

A year ago, KCSourceLink discovered that area early-stage investors need more connections with each other and the startups they fund. To that end, the entrepreneurial resource hub on Tuesday rallied an array of major investment groups that target startups in Kansas City, building the foundation of a more connected capital community. In total, 15 local…