Startups

Nick Bowden, Replica

Overland Park startup secures $41M as infrastructure gets new focus amid COVID, Biden presidency

By Tommy Felts / April 21, 2021

A massive round of Series B funding will boost Replica’s data platform as it changes how cities are planned and operated — especially in the wake of a global pandemic and a renewed emphasis on infrastructure spending from the federal level down, said Nick Bowden. The $41 million round was led by Founders Fund and…

Read More >

Franklin’s Stash House rolls MO cannabis opportunity into KC-made hemp blunts

By Tommy Felts / April 20, 2021

The timing is perfect for a cross-cultural cannabis company, Michael Wilson said Tuesday, announcing the 4/20 launch of Franklin’s Stash House, a hemp blunt maker headquartered near the Crossroads. “It’s a lifestyle brand that represents a segment of the culture that doesn’t get enough attention, trying to capture our creative energy in a cool form…

Read More >
Matt Watson, Stackify

How one KC founder earned two exits before hitting 40 (Hint: Make time or don’t start)

By Tommy Felts / April 20, 2021

Ten years after his first startup exit, Matt Watson finds himself at the finish line once again.  “This time was a lot different than the last,” Watson, founder and CEO of Stackify, told Startland News, comparing his run with the APM solutions startup to his tenure as co-founder and CTO at VinSolutions — the startup that…

Read More >

How can edtech startups tell if their products work? LEANLAB partners research tech use in real KC classrooms

By Tommy Felts / April 20, 2021

A rebooted accelerator concept for LEANLAB Education put four edtech companies into Kansas City classrooms this spring — focusing more on helping founders conduct research on their products inside of schools and de-emphasizing previous entrepreneur training aspects of LEANLAB’s programming. “As the first program of its kind in the U.S., this inaugural cohort represents a turning…

Read More >
Matt Watson, Stackify

Stackify sells to West Coast competitor; stacking another exit for startup veteran Matt Watson

By Tommy Felts / April 20, 2021

Two of the country’s fastest growing companies have joined forces as Leawood-built Stackify reaches its exit, the tech startup announced Tuesday. Huntington Beach, California-based Netreo has acquired the company in an undisclosed deal, expected to enhance the IT infrastructure management (ITIM) platform’s full-stack IT monitoring and AIOps offerings — significantly boosting its overall customer experience. …

Read More >