Tag: Dan Kerr

MidxMidwest returns: Seizing opportunities from one-on-one founder-VC meetups more important than ever, organizers say

By Tommy Felts / September 28, 2024

It’s a critical time within the startup funding ecosystem, Dan Kerr and Maggie Kenefake agreed, noting the slow tick of investments across the region present a core challenge — and opportunities — to be addressed by this fall’s MidxMidwest event. “If you look at capital, 80 percent went to the biggest three states again, and…

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KC is capitalizing on recent wins: Here’s how it’s paying off for tech, biologics startups (and investors) 

By Tommy Felts / November 9, 2023

Dan Kerr joined a chorus of area officials and investment leaders singing the praises of a region on the rise Tuesday during a Midwest-focused venture conference in downtown Kansas City. “I hope you engage with the city and see some of the awesome stuff going on here locally,” the event co-founder and partner at Flyover…

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Mid x Midwest returning in November with renewed vision to connect KC founders, VCs

By Tommy Felts / August 24, 2023

The pilot Mid x Midwest event in fall 2022 supported the idea that early-stage tech founders and investors are hungry for more conversations post pandemic, Dan Kerr and Maggie Kenefake shared, spurring the return of the invite-only meetup in November. “We both showed up that morning to Hotel Kansas City and we walked into the…

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VC summit: It’s a great place to ‘keep your head down and build’ — but is ‘KC nice’ slowing potential?

By Tommy Felts / November 16, 2022

Building a startup in Kansas City comes with a mix of unique benefits and challenges, said serial entrepreneurs Riddhiman Das and Toby Rush, who both agreed the local ecosystem is enjoying “significant” momentum — while pushing the startup scene to be “more aggressive and more brutally honest.” “When you’re on an exponential growth curve, whenever…

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Mid x Midwest aims to connect 50 VCs with 50 startups; why this new meetup is coming to KC

By Tommy Felts / October 19, 2022

Traveling throughout the U.S. for business, Dan Kerr regularly comes across investors who have heard rumblings about the burgeoning Kansas City tech startup ecosystem, he said. But one problem persists: most of these potential funders have never stepped foot in Kansas City. “Really what got my gears turning is that I have a big network…

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