Startups

The Innovation Studio, Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise and Research Center, UMKC

UMKC unveils innovation studio, inviting students, entrepreneurs to collaborate within $32M research center

By Tommy Felts / September 29, 2021

In a hiring environment where college graduates are expected to possess honed skills for even entry-level positions, a state-of-the-art innovation studio in the heart of Kansas City allows students access to technology to actually build products within their chosen professions. “We have never had a facility like this — with the diversity of equipment and…

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Kerryann Kocher, Vytelle

Fulcrum herds oversubscribed $13.2M round for KC cattle tech startup with KCRise Fund, iiM in the corral

By Tommy Felts / September 28, 2021

A Kansas City-based precision livestock company will use its fresh Series A funding harvest to accelerate genetic progress and sustainably deliver more protein with fewer inputs, its top executive announced Tuesday. “Our mission is clear, and we are grateful for the support of our investors who join us on our journey to ensure meat and…

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Justin Smith and Dan Millman, All Clear Dryer Vent Cleaning

Airtasker fills Zaarly footprint, launching in KC (and bringing back gigs for local ‘Taskers’)

By Tommy Felts / September 24, 2021

Airtasker announced this week the fast-growing Australian tech company with global aspirations has officially launched its U.S. presence via the Kansas City market — alongside pushes in Dallas and Miami — making good on plans shared with Startland News in June Next up: Atlanta, later this year. The news comes about four months after Airtasker — an…

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Sonny Patel, founder and CEO of Insurmi, with Steve Gardner and Charlotte Clark, bcp tech accelerator, and Jim Erickson, EDCKC

Chatbots to wedding insurance: Meet the four premium InsurTech startups selected for KC’s bcp tech accelerator

By Tommy Felts / September 23, 2021

Four of the industry’s most-promising seed stage startups — an international mix of insurtech solutions — are expected to be the beneficiaries of Kansas City’s extensive insurance expertise, explained Nathan Kurtz, announcing the second cohort of the LaunchKC-backed bcp tech InsurTech accelerator. “We are very insurance focused,” said Kurtz, COO of Brush Creek Partners (bcp). “And there’s…

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Edna Martinson, Boddle

Edna Martinson notches another big win for Boddle, earning $100K from Google for Startups fund

By Tommy Felts / September 22, 2021

The second cohort of a Google for Startups program focused on high potential ventures from Black entrepreneurs features a high-profile founder who built her company in Kansas City before relocating to Tulsa in 2020. The Black Founders Fund announced the selection of Edna Martinson, co-founder of Boddle Learning, Tuesday in a rollout of the 50…

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