Tag: Iron Prairie Ventures

How AI changes the the founder code: ‘This is all moving faster than anyone expected’

By Tommy Felts / November 14, 2025

New tech opportunities — like artificial intelligence — hold the potential to equalize the Kansas City region among more established startup hubs, investment leaders said Thursday, but to fully take advantage, entrepreneurs who want strong, lasting companies must have a fire inside them. Not to mention grit. “Several really incredible entrepreneurs said, ‘I think the one…

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StartupNWA opens access to Northwest Arkansas ‘VC Immersions’ for Kansas City founders

By Tommy Felts / March 25, 2025

SPRINGDALE, Arkansas — A program designed to connect entrepreneurs with top-tier venture capitalists — offering access to critical funding, mentorship and the essential relationships needed to secure investor support — is now accepting Kansas City applicants. It’s all about lowering barriers to capital, said Serafina Lalany, executive director of StartupNWA, an initiative of the Northwest…

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Investor market turns Midwest conservative: ‘Everyone here is feeling a changing landscape’

By Tommy Felts / November 15, 2024

After years of soaring valuations across the startup scene, venture firms like M25 are observing a shift to more risk-averse investors and stricter examinations of even the most-exciting company’s worth, said Abhinaya Konduru. “We’re seeing a new normal,” said Konduru, a principal on the influential Chicago-based M25 team and a panelist at Thursday’s MidxMidwest event…

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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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