Profiles

BacklotCars

Investors deal BacklotCars $8M; KC-based startup hitting the gas on disruption

Disrupting the used car space has driven a Series A funding round to $8 million for Kansas City-based startup BacklotCars, the company announced Tuesday. “This investment comes at a great time. We are growing rapidly in our existing markets and expanding our national footprint. We expect to continue to add new features – to accompany…

Tim Fortier, Drawbridge Strategies

Passive investment approach is so 30 years ago, Drawbridge strategist says

Transforming a systematic process into a company built on efficiency has Lee’s Summit-based Drawbridge Strategies ready to disrupt the world of finance, said Tim Fortier. “A product is a means to an end, not the end itself. What is necessary is better investor education on the process behind the product,” said Fortier, Drawbridge Strategies CIO….

Edgar Palacios, Latinx Education Collaborative

KCultivator Q&A: Edgar Palacios talks Latinx representation, his ballsy inspiration

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. Proportionate cultural and ethnic representation can be life-altering for young people — especially in the classroom, said Edgar Palacios….

Ronnie Washington, Onward

Onward scores $1M grant from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for payday loan end-run

Everyone needs a financial cushion, said Ronnie Washington — even a fintech startup offering low- to moderate-income workers a path to avoid predatory lending practices, the Onward founder said. A member of KC-based Fountain City Fintech’s inaugural cohort, Onward is one of 10 companies from across the U.S. and Puerto Rico being awarded $1 million…

Isaac Collins, Austin Wilcox and Wondabeka Ashenafi, SERV Nutrition

‘Three guys of faith’ craft edible, dissolving protein pods with mission to SERV

Infusing authenticity into a compound of faith and fearlessness helped a KC trio formulate the one-of-a-kind recipe for Kansas City startup SERV Nutrition. Now they’re positioning the soon-to-launch company to shake up the supplement space, said Austin Wilcox. “I was doing some laundry and threw a Tide Pod in after my workout, then ran upstairs to…