Startups

Six months after acquiring KC startup, BarGlance expands its AI-powered nightlife app across US

By Tommy Felts / March 21, 2025

Launching its latest innovation — BarGlance AI — in nightlife hotspots like Dallas, Las Vegas, Miami, and Kansas City is only part of the story for a South Carolina-based company that recently augmented its tech by integrating features from a Kansas City startup it acquired. By providing real-time data on venue popularity, crowd levels, and…

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Pitch locally or look to outsiders? How founder bias toward funding at all costs could leave your distracted startup without a why

By Tommy Felts / March 19, 2025

Kansas City’s funding gaps often feel deeper for women entrepreneurs, two top founders said Tuesday, describing a startup ecosystem that pits emerging entrepreneurs against each other — but perhaps more critically, against time — in a highly competitive fight for a limited amount of local capital. “Kansas City is very startup friendly — at least…

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KC-built Buzz acquired by Vegas tech company hoping to solve AI’s ‘last mile’ challenge in property management

By Tommy Felts / March 18, 2025

A leading property tech company is placing its bet on the Kansas City-built rent collections platform that Buzz brings to the table, announcing the AI-driven startup’s acquisition Tuesday by Las Vegas-based Pay Ready. The potential for artificial intelligence’s use in an industry historically is limited by the way tech collides with humans, said serial entrepreneur…

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Still in the game: 16 startups advance in Kansas pitch tournament; courting a new style of seed funding

By Tommy Felts / March 17, 2025

WICHITA — And then there were 16. Monday’s pitch competition announcement served up sweet news for more than a dozen Kansas startups as local founders learned they’re advancing in the Gamechangers & Champions “Bracket Bash for Innovators and Angels” — a tournament-style event set to end with a $20,000 grand prize. The just-released list of…

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Startup Weekend’s challenge: Build Missouri’s next billion-dollar idea (in three days)

By Tommy Felts / March 14, 2025

COLUMBIA, Missouri — Budding entrepreneurs are gathering next month for a three-day business pitch event that could earn them $45,000 in prizes plus a $150,000 investment opportunity for the winning company with billion-dollar potential, organizers said. Missouri Startup Weekend returns April 11-13 at EquipmentShare’s newly opened Technology & Development Center in Columbia. It’s a unique…

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