EyeVerify sells to Alibaba affiliate for more than $100M

By Tommy Felts | September 13, 2016

In what represents one of the metro’s most notable exits in the last decade, Kansas City-based startup EyeVerify announced Tuesday that it has been acquired. Ant Financial —  the payments affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding — purchased EyeVerify for more than $100 million, according to an unnamed local source familiar with the deal. Ant Financial…

Read More

How local founders manage startup disappointment

By Tommy Felts | June 23, 2016

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone.   Fail fast. Fail forward. Startup failure may be educational, but it’s a lesson delivered by a very expensive teacher who exacts a steep emotional and economic price. The space between the Big Success and the Big Failure is where entrepreneurs live and…

Read More

Top 10 Kansas City startups to watch in 2016

By Tommy Felts | January 6, 2016

Kansas City is home to countless startups. But what early-stage ventures are the most promising and worth a closer look? As we entered 2016, Startland News evaluated the area’s top startups based on the strength of their team, current traction, disruptiveness and job growth potential. Below is a list of the top 10 area enterprises we’ve…

Read More

EyeVerify enters new European market with Vodafone deal

By Tommy Felts | June 9, 2015

Biometrics tech company EyeVerify is continuing its global expansion into Europe with a new deal. The Kansas City-based firm recently announced a licensing and marketing agreement with Turkish security tech company Olcsan CAD. The deal makes Olcsan the exclusive distributor of EyeVerify’s eye vein biometrics technology, or Eyeprint ID, throughout Turkey. “We’re pleased to partner…

Read More