Idle Smart posts Series A round with KCRise Fund, multimillion-dollar investment support
October 24, 2018 | Austin Barnes
A multi-million dollar investment round has Kansas City-grown Idle Smart revving its engine and accelerating toward rapid growth in 2019, revealed Jeff Lynch, company president.
“I think it’s a reflection of what the team has been able to create over the past few years,” Lynch said of Idle Smart’s completion of a milestone Series A funding effort.
The round was led by Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, but also included significant support from the KCRise Fund and Service Provider Capital, he said. Stout Street Capital and Clean Energy Fund have also invested in the company, according to online Crunchbase reports.
Known for its patented, energy-saving technology that automates engine start-stops of fleet vehicles, Lynch said the cash infusion will greatly contribute to the internal growth of the company.
“Our business to date commands that we need to build, grow, and enhance our team in advance of what we think will be even better years in 2019, 2020, and 2021,” he said.
Idle Smart’s personnel upgrades will focus on technical expertise, U.S. and international sales forces, and internal account management functions, Lynch added.
“We think it’s a positive sign and a positive year mark in terms of our future opportunities and potential for success,” he said.
In addition to internal growth, Idle Smart is now in the process of relocating its offices from the Kansas City Startup Village to Plexpod Westport Commons, Lynch said.
Idle Smart was one of the first companies to inhabit the startup village –– a series of homes nestled within the 45th Street and State Line Road neighborhoods that first welcomed Google Fiber, which came to Kansas City in 2012.
Featured Business

2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Amid success, the Kansas City Startup Village is shrinking
It’s Nov. 13, 2012, and Kansas City’s Spring Valley neighborhood is in a frenzy. TV vans line the streets near 4454 State Line Road, the first house to receive Google’s ultra fast Internet service in the Kansas City, Kan. neighborhood. Reporters jockey for access to a handful of entrepreneurs and techies that moved to area…
Why coastal investors ignore the Midwest and what’s next for federal startup policy
Here are this week’s watercooler conversation-starters on why inland states struggle to find funding, coming issues in federal entrepreneurship policy and the success of innovation districts that are cropping up around the U.S. (and in Kansas City). More in this series here. International Business Times: Finding venture capital far from the coasts Of the $48.3…
Ebb and flow: The Kansas City Startup Village by the numbers
Startland News created an infographic on the growth and shrinkage of the Kansas City Startup Village since its 2012 founding. Here’s a colorful interpretation of its ebb and flow, as presented by Startland’s Kat Hungerford. Read more about the KCSV’s history, successes and possible future here.
Shawnee passes tax measure to attract startups
A tax incentive program that aims to attract high-growth startups to the City of Shawnee unanimously passed a city vote, paving the way for firms to tap a variety of benefits to alleviate initial costs. The city council voted 8-0 on the “Startup Workforce Relocation and Expansion Program,” which aims to encourage job growth and…
