Startups

Venture experts: Getting your first check in KC is too difficult, but a record influx of coastal investors isn’t a bad substitute

By Tommy Felts / September 20, 2022

A new report on Kansas City’s venture-backed companies showed year-over-year growth in multiple areas — impressing industry experts who identified key investment trends in the data. More companies with venture capital backing; higher employee counts; a 58 percent boost in fundraising. Yet growth was not universal. Despite gains in top-line figures, the number of Kansas City-based…

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RX Savings Solutions sale would see the startup acquired for up to $875M in KC’s biggest-ever exit

By Tommy Felts / September 19, 2022

The McKesson Corporation has agreed to purchase Overland Park-prescribed Rx Savings Solutions in a deal worth nearly $1 billion.  McKesson announced Monday that it had entered into an agreement with the prescription pricing startup valued at up to $875 million — more than double the $425 million price tag for which Kansas City-built Backlot Cars…

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Google’s $100K ‘stamp of approval’ for PlaBook reads like validation for KC-built edtech startup

By Tommy Felts / September 16, 2022

Kansas City expatriate PlaBook is set to receive $100,000 from Google’s initiative to provide funding to Black-led startups. But for Philip Hickman, it’s not just about the funding, he said. It’s also a credibility boost. “We were happy to receive an investment from Google,” the edtech startup founder said. “It’s a stamp of approval to…

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Fund Me, KC: Her startup has outgrown its puppy phase; now’s your chance to feed its potential

By Tommy Felts / September 12, 2022

Startland News is continuing its “Fund Me, KC” series to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses or lend a helping hand to others. This is an opportunity for business owners and innovators — like Jonaie Johnson’s effort to publicly launch the highly-anticipated PlayTach smart dog crate attachment by Interplay — to share their…

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KC startup earns $100K from Google initiative, funding its ‘food as medicine’ tech solution for chronic illnesses, healthy food inequity

By Tommy Felts / September 9, 2022

Kansas City-based startup Free From Market will receive $100,000 in non-dilutive funding from Google as part of the tech giant’s initiative to support Black-led startups. Free From Market is a digital health platform that unites the key components needed for people with chronic conditions to make lasting dietary changes: personalized food selection, nutritional education and…

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