News

OHUB finalists: Christopher Jones, Matchrite Care; Shelley Cooper, Diversity Telehealth; Philip Vanderstraeten, Erkios Systems; Philip Hickman, PlaBook; Leonard Frye, FilmDove; and Clarence Tan, Boddle Learning

OHUB is sending five startups to SXSW, each infused with $50K; Meet the seven KC finalists

By Tommy Felts / December 27, 2019

Iron sharpens iron, said Rodney Sampson, announcing 12 finalists — seven from Kansas City — for $250,000 in investments and a coveted demo day stage at SXSW in March. Each startup is rich with founders who have invested the time and energy to earn a payout from the ecosystem, said Sampson, founder of the Opportunity…

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Show Me Capital: 6 key goals can help fill funding gaps for early-stage Missouri companies

By Tommy Felts / December 20, 2019

Missouri is leaving millions of dollars on the table that could fuel early-stage startups, which create nearly 80 percent of net new jobs in the state. A new report from MOSourceLink, a program of the UMKC Innovation Center, reveals Missouri is lacking in alternative loans, access to resources, early-stage capital and locally activated venture capital.…

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Matt Leadbetter, N-GAGE GRIPS

N-GAGE founder gets a grip on weight-lifting pain points (without giving up his day job)

By Tommy Felts / December 20, 2019

N-GAGE GRIPS will have found success as a startup when Matt Leadbetter’s oldest son thinks he’s cool. “I remember thinking, ‘I have this thing in my head, I just need to make it,’ and I was kinda thinking at the time, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if when my little boy gets older, he’s impressed with…

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Digital Sandbox KC

Digital Sandbox welcomes four new startups led by emerging, veteran KC founders

By Tommy Felts / December 20, 2019

The latest round of founders joining Digital Sandbox KC includes relative newcomers to the startup scene alongside a Fountain City Fintech alum and a key player behind one of Kansas City’s biggest exits. The proof-of-concept program announced Friday the addition of four new companies for its fourth quarter: TripleBlind, led by Riddhiman Das, who made…

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Erin Papworth, Navit

Are venture-seeking women, minority founders at an unfair disadvantage in KC?

By Tommy Felts / December 19, 2019

Editor’s note: The following is the second in a series of analyses of Startland’s list of Kansas City’s Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies. On stage with a handful of men, Erin Papworth faced a dilemma. The founder of Nav.It — one of the startups to recently complete Fountain City Fintech’s second accelerator cohort — found herself fighting…

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