Startups

Already feeling FOMO for Global Entrepreneurship Week? Here are KC’s can’t-miss events

By Tommy Felts / November 5, 2019

Hundreds of events geared toward makers, innovators and job creators are expected to pop up later this month in one of Kansas City’s historic cultural epicenters. “The 18th and Vine District has a rich history of entrepreneurship and has served as a hub for makers, dreamers and doers for decades,” said Jenny Miller, chief organizer…

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Matt DeCoursey, Startup Hustle's live podcast at Startland's Innovation Exchange

Check in: Full Scale’s $1M investment pledge already impacting startups like Mixtape, DivvyHQ

By Tommy Felts / November 2, 2019

Nearly nine months after pledging to invest $1 million worth of Full Scale’s development resources in Kansas City startups, impact already is clear among numerous companies, said Matt DeCoursey, who has leveraged a podcast and “Suite and Greet” networking to build deeper connections to the local innovation community. “We have the ability to help a…

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Co-founder trio invests $4.75M in KC RentTech startup Simplifyy, aiming for 500 percent growth in use

By Tommy Felts / November 2, 2019

It’s about motivation, said Robert Henrichs, describing the co-founders of Kansas City-based Simplifyy’s decision to invest $4.75 million in the RentTech startup. “There is a lot of confidence around the venture because the founders have years of industry experience and recognize it is primed for disruption,” said Henrichs, who is responsible for marketing at Simplifyy.…

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Lindsey Branding, BacklotCars

New in KC: BacklotCars funding round lures Windy City tech talent back to KC

By Tommy Felts / October 31, 2019

Editor’s note: New in KC is an ongoing profile series that highlights newly relocated members of the Kansas City startup community, their reasons for a change of scenery, and what they’ve found so far in KC. Click here to read more New in KC profiles. As Kansas City’s startup scene came online in 2012, Lindsey…

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Katy Ibsen, founder, Sweet Jane

Lawrence-based Sweet Jane magazine offers safe space for women to get candid about cannabis

By Tommy Felts / October 29, 2019

Satisfying her own curiosity, Katy Ibsen penned an article on cannabis opportunities for publishers.  “There were niche magazines being published, there were B2B magazines being published, there was ‘High Times’ and ‘Dope,’” Ibsen, now founder, editor and publisher of Sweet Jane magazine, said of her research for the piece.  A 10-year publishing vet with a…

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