Startups

Just funded: Big ‘Pure Pitch’ winners swim with the sharks, earn thousands in cash on the spot

By Tommy Felts / October 18, 2022

A winning afternoon at the Pure Pitch Rally is validation Dr. Brandy Archie’s healthtech accessibility app is providing connections people actually need, she said. “That’s the most important thing to me,” said Archie, founder of AskSAMIE. “The funds are going to a good cause, but this lets me know that this new idea that I…

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They met in Hollywood, but this startup found its ‘fertile field’ of dreams (and community) in Kansas

By Tommy Felts / October 14, 2022

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. WICHITA,…

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Entrepreneur of the Year: Zig when others are zagging — and don’t be afraid of the word ‘no’

By Tommy Felts / October 13, 2022

Bold strategies helped lead BacklotCars to one of Kansas City’s biggest-ever startup exits, said Justin Davis, and ultimately brought the lauded founder to the stage Wednesday to accept one of UMKC’s Entrepreneur of the Year honors. “Taking ‘no’ for an answer wasn’t an option,” the co-founder and CEO of BacklotCars, a web-based, dealer-to-dealer automotive platform, told…

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Founder: Build your startup on relationships — not tech — to survive seismic industry shifts

By Tommy Felts / October 12, 2022

Nurturing healthy relationships with clients and partners is the most sustainable way to build a business, said Dan Prince, reflecting on his time growing a custom software development company in Kansas City. “You grow a business by your reputation, by doing the best work for people that you can possibly do. I was told a…

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Why NMotion gives founders (without a startup) $100K and tells them to forget their assumptions

By Tommy Felts / October 12, 2022

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. LINCOLN,…

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