Pure Pitch Rally palms $20K to KC startups

Kansas City already has the right lineup for its own tech rally, Karen Fenaroli said.

“We have the investors, we have the start-up talent,” Fenaroli, founder of Fenaroli & Associates and organizer of Pure Pitch Rally, said. 

Karen Fenaroli

A pitch competition next month attempts to connect the two, offering winning entrepreneurs an opportunity to nab $1,000 each.

Kicking off TechWeek KC, the second annual Pure Pitch Rally aims to bring together more than 150 executive and investor attendees to participate in and watch a pitch competition featuring eight startup companies. The event is set for Sept. 11 at Helix Architecture + Design in the Crossroads.

Organizers of the competition have seen an increase in investors willing to fund startups, Fenaroli said, adding that the event will bring quality networking opportunities for the community.

“What is exciting about this event is the cross-mix or clustering of the C-suite executives and the corporate companies – all in one room,” Fenaroli said. “Through the Pure Pitch Rally, we are able to create both a pipeline of startups and a quality group of funding and inspiration judges.”

The Pure Pitch Rally is expected to include about 20 accomplished, pre-selected judges, who will each donate $1,000 to the company of his or her choice, she said. In addition, $1,000 will be given to a people’s choice winner.

The event is sponsored by Polsinelli, BKD, Kansas City Area Development Council, Circle Sideways, Coffee Lunch Coffee Morningstar Communications, Project United Knowledge and Real Media. Some of these firms will be represented on the judges panel, but an official list of participants won’t be released until Aug. 20.

Fenaroli is passionate about coaching tech companies and rallying the community, she said, which led her to launch the Pure Pitch Rally in 2016.

“I enjoy clustering companies and talent together to solve problems – voila, I birthed this idea from prior successful events,” she said.“It is here to stay and look for 2018 to reach $250,000 of funding.  We can do it together as civic leaders and corporate executives.”

Eligible entrepreneurs must have raised funding between $20,000 and $500,000 and have a location in the greater Kansas City metro area. The application deadline for interested entrepreneurs is Aug. 20, click here to apply.