News

With investors clamoring for more, Blooom raises $9.15 million

By Tommy Felts / February 6, 2017

One of the area’s top startups, finance tech firm Blooom has landed a significant round of financing to accelerate its online tool to boost users’ retirement savings. The firm announced Monday that it raised $9.15 million in an oversubscribed Series B round that features some behemoths in finance tech investing. The round was co-led by…

Celebrity Apprentice features Kansas City fitness startup OYO Fitness

By Tommy Felts / February 3, 2017

A trio of celebrities were briefly among the sales staff for a surging fitness tech firm in Kansas City. In a recent episode of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice, musician Boy George, basketball hall-of-famer Lisa Leslie and former Queer Eye for the Straight Guy expert Carson Kressley helped sell for Kansas City-based OYO Fitness. OYO founder Paul…

New effort aims to cultivate, connect SaaS salespeople in KC

By Tommy Felts / February 3, 2017

A champion of sales talent development in the Kansas City area is hoping to create a movement in Kansas City to help business development professionals learn from one another. Founded in 2016 by Mike Poledna, KC SaaS aims to provide networking and development opportunities for SaaS firms. In addition to hosting free panel conversations five…

To cultivate area ecosystem, Kauffman launches ‘KC Connector’ project

By Tommy Felts / February 2, 2017

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is setting out on a mission to better connect people cultivating Kansas City’s entrepreneurial and education communities. The Kauffman Foundation is asking Kansas Citians to nominate the area’s unsung heroes” for its new Community Connector Project. Inspired by similar initiatives that have been implemented in Portland, Philadelphia and Louisville, the…

VIDEO: KCAI President Tony Jones on art and tech

By Tommy Felts / February 2, 2017

The Kansas City Art Institute’s new David T. Beals Studio for Art and Technology is a state-of-the-art facility that’s serving the school’s more than 600 student-artists. Watch the video below to hear Tony Jones, president of KCAI, discuss the facility as well as the intersection of art and technology. To read more about the studio,…