What the world champion Royals can teach us about investing

By Tommy Felts | November 2, 2015

“The future ain’t what it used to be” – Yogi Berra, New York Yankee legend Like many kids, I learned from an early age that a game can teach us more about life than most realize. Baseball is adversity. Baseball is success by way of failure. Baseball is discipline and perseverance. Sounds a lot like…

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High-profile judges for Kauffman contest includes Marcelo Claure, VCs

By Tommy Felts | October 29, 2015

A star-studded lineup of businesspeople from around the nation will be judging 15 startups in the Kauffman Foundation’s One in a Million pitch contest. The competition, which will take place on Nov. 17 and 18 during Global Entrepreneurship Week, will award $10,000 to one startup that previously participated in the foundation’s 1 Million Cups program. Those evaluating…

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Blooom co-founder dissects $4M raise

By Tommy Felts | October 19, 2015
Chris Costello, Bloom

Financial tech firm Blooom recently snagged one of the Kansas City area’s largest funding rounds in months. QED Investors from Alexandria, Va., led Blooom’s $4 million Series A round, which also included investments from DST Systems Inc., Commerce Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners and UMB. The Leawood-based firm plans to use the funds to hire new sales…

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Blooom to expand with $4M Series A

By Tommy Felts | October 15, 2015

Financial tech firm Blooom is blossoming into a local startup success story. The Leawood-based company announced Thursday that it raised $4 million in a Series A round to expand its operations. QED Investors from Alexandria, Va., led the round, which also included DST Systems Inc., Commerce Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners and UMB. Blooom created an online…

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3 local startups advance in national pitch bout

By Tommy Felts | October 7, 2015

Three startups from Kansas are among the semifinalists in a competition to snag $10,000 from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Kauffman Foundation’s One in a Million contest announced Wednesday 15 semifinalists from 12 states. Semifinalists will travel to Kansas City during Global Entrepreneurship Week for a chance to become one of five finalists for…

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