Startups

Mike Plunkett and John Thomson, PayIt

Kansas City’s PayIt opens new Canadian HQ, taking its GovTech solution global

By Tommy Felts / September 8, 2020

One of Kansas City’s top scaling tech companies opened its new headquarters in Canada, John Thomson announced Tuesday, marking a significant step in PayIt’s growth and expansion into new markets. “We are absolutely thrilled to be opening our Canadian headquarters here in Toronto. This city is already home to some immense tech talent and we…

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Photo by Tiffany Tertipes Curbside Notary

Voting by mail? Curbside Notary bringing ballot service to coffee shops, restaurants

By Tommy Felts / September 8, 2020

Everyone deserves the right to vote safely, said Danielle Lehman, steering her innovative mind toward Curbside Notary — an effort to connect Missouri mail-in voters with notaries at easy-to-access locations like coffee shops and restaurants. “I started thinking about, ‘Where are people visiting every day?’ A lot of people go get their coffee in the…

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$425M exit: BacklotCars selling to Indiana-based auto marketplace in ‘milestone event’ for KC

By Tommy Felts / September 8, 2020

Five years after turning its ignition, Kansas City-revved BacklotCars is being acquired in a historic $425 million deal. Carmel, Indiana-based KAR Auction Services agreed to purchase the company by the end of the year, the companies said Tuesday morning. “KAR Global is the most innovative and progressive digital remarketing company in the world, and their…

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Kathryn Golden, Pitch Perfect, Enterprise Center in Johnson County

Pitching your startup to investors is about more than selling an idea, says Pitch Perfect leader

By Tommy Felts / September 4, 2020

Perfecting a startup pitch depends on a founder’s ability to move beyond mere product knowledge and talk the investors’ language, said Kathryn Golden. “The reality is investors aren’t buying your product; they’re not customers,” explained Golden, programs director at the Enterprise Center in Johnson County. “Investors are looking at the company and asking, ‘Is this…

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Whitney Manney, Kansas City maker; Make48 panel, March 6, 2020

Maker reality show filmed at Union Station set for debut with top KC textile talent in focus

By Tommy Felts / September 4, 2020

The fourth season of Make48 is set to debut next week on Kansas City PBS — marking the maker-focused reality series’ return to Kansas City and chronicling some of the final days of life in a pre-pandemic world.  Front and center amid the creative chaos  — which descended March 6-7 on Union Station for 48-hours of filming…

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