Firebrand Ventures inks $17.7M for oversubscribed seed fund

By Tommy Felts | April 4, 2018
John Fein

Kansas City-based seed fund Firebrand Ventures has crushed its original goal to create a $7 million seed fund for startups in the Midwest. Led by investor and former Techstars managing director John Fein, the fund raised $17.7 million for tech ventures in the Midwest, exceeding its initial goal by about 250 percent, said Fein. “I’m…

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Firebrand Ventures makes 4 investments in Midwest startups

By Tommy Felts | May 30, 2017
John Fein

Kansas City-based Firebrand Ventures is kicking off the summer with a series of startup investments. Led by managing director John Fein, Firebrand has signed a quartet of new deals supporting two pairs of tech startups in both Boulder and Austin. “We’re just incredibly excited to invest in these companies,” Fein said. “We think they’re the…

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Uber exec with KC ties resigns to explore Kansas politics

By Tommy Felts | March 21, 2017
Brian McClendon

An Uber executive with strong ties to Kansas City has announced his resignation and return to Kansas. Uber announced Tuesday that Brian McClendon, vice president of maps and business platforms at Uber, would be stepping down from his post as he explores a life in Kansas politics. A University of Kansas graduate, McClendon in January…

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Firebrand Ventures joins $6.85M round in Des Moines startup

By Tommy Felts | January 20, 2017

Continuing a streak of investments, Kansas City-based Firebrand Ventures joined a sizable investment in an Iowa-based payments processing startup. Firebrand joined six other venture funds in a $6.85 million funding round in Des Moines-based Dwolla, which builds applications that facilitate bank transfers, manages customers and verifies bank accounts. The round was led by Union Square…

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