Tag: Mid-America Angels

It’s easy for small biz to get lost in the shuffle; How ECJC offers a lifeline to Main Street, startup entrepreneurs

By Tommy Felts / March 29, 2024

The Enterprise Center in Johnson County is on a mission to prove the Kansas City metro remains a place where small businesses can grow and thrive, shared CEO Jeff Shackelford. ECJC — which is home to the Women’s Business Center, the Mid-America Angels and the Women’s Capital Connection angel investment networks, as well as the…

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New $2.2M funding round powers WorkTorch career platform expansion into KCK, KCMO

By Tommy Felts / November 8, 2022

Less than a year after sisters Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall became the first Black women in Kansas to raise $1 million in seed funding for their startup, their rebranded Wichita company announced another $2.2 million investment for its rapidly scaling service industry career platform. The new influx of funding — led by Wichita-based Tenzing Capital…

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Kenzen team, pre-COVID-19 pandemic

Kenzen finds capital in Kansas City as market for startup’s speciality wearables heats up

By Tommy Felts / December 7, 2020

Editor’s note: This article is underwritten by Plexpod — a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes — but was independently produced by Startland News. Take a closer look, Heidi Lehmann urged, detailing her once-outsider’s view of Kansas City and ways it revealed a robust and evolving pipeline…

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Jeff Shackelford, Enterprise Center in Johnson County

Jeff Shackleford named ECJC’s top exec, aims to keep nonprofit’s impact on entrepreneurs in the billions 

By Tommy Felts / January 16, 2020

A transition to new leadership at the Enterprise Center in Johnson County comes with a pledge to build upon the work of the nearly 25-year-old nonprofit, said Jeff Shackelford. “The ECJC will continue to play a vital role in being a focal point for local companies and entrepreneurs looking to raise capital to start and…

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Digital Sandbox KC cohort; Mario Pabaroue, Len Frye and Brandon Dunlap, FilmDove Inc.; A.J. Mellott, Ronawk LLC; and Sunti Wathanacharoen, Pulmonaer Analytics LLC

Digital Sandbox KC selects diverse health, AI and filmmaking startups for latest funding

By Tommy Felts / October 24, 2019

The latest trio of Digital Sandbox KC companies pushes the proof-of-concept program deeper into Johnson County with a new Overland Park partnership. “This group showcases the wide spectrum of businesses assisted by the Sandbox, from a data platform for creative filmmakers and studios, to improved patient care in asthma, to biologics in regenerative medicine,” said…

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