Investors
Grit Road plants $11M venture fund to cultivate homegrown ag tech solutions across Midwest
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. OMAHA — The precision guide for Grit Road Partners — a Nebraska-based venture fund — is investing in ag tech companies that are solving Midwest producer problems, said Mike Jung,…
Mid x Midwest returning in November with renewed vision to connect KC founders, VCs
The pilot Mid x Midwest event in fall 2022 supported the idea that early-stage tech founders and investors are hungry for more conversations post pandemic, Dan Kerr and Maggie Kenefake shared, spurring the return of the invite-only meetup in November. “We both showed up that morning to Hotel Kansas City and we walked into the…
Investor returns to Kansas City with a message for his fellow VCs: It’s time to get your hands dirty
Traveling across the United States to listen and learn from various entrepreneurial ecosystems gave Nassir Criss the knowledge to be a better venture capitalist, he said. After nearly a year — and visiting more than a dozen cities — Criss has returned to Kansas City to share and apply what he experienced. “I realized that…
This KC investor’s narrow (but global) focus: Technical founders who want to change the world
When launching an investment firm, venture capitalists must consider what distinguishes them from other firms and gives them a competitive edge, said Taylor Clauson. “In my case, I would say that having such a narrow thesis is a tremendous luxury,” said Clauson, who founded Abstraction Capital in 2020. “I’m a specialist fund, and founders like…
Scale VC launches Fund II with $5M investment led by UM System, Shelter Insurance
COLUMBIA, Missouri — Venture capital fund and studio Scale VC raised a $5 million round of funding in less than six months, said Brett Calhoun, highlighting the potential for growing a nationally recognized startup city in the middle of the country. “Successful founders are everywhere — and that includes right here in the heart of…
