Tag: Techstars

KC’s PlaBook, Erkios selected for coveted $50K Arch Grants, boosting St. Louis startup scene

By Tommy Felts / October 5, 2021

Two Kansas City companies are expected to be part of Arch Grants’ largest-ever selection of startups, earning spots in the highly competitive St. Louis grant program’s 35-member, nearly $2 million 2021 cohort. PlaBook, an edtech reading platform, and Erkios Systems, a cybersecurity hardware startup, were announced Oct. 1 as winning candidates for the program, which…

Read More >
Techstars KC 2021 demo day

Techstars’ summer finale means closing investment rounds for founders, says KC leader

By Tommy Felts / September 3, 2021

Demo day is as much about looking forward as it is an examination of a startup’s journey through Techstars, Maria Flynn said, teasing new dollar deals ahead for the 2021 Kansas City cohort. “There are already a number of investment commitments coming in, so we are focused on closing the investment rounds so the companies…

Read More >
Valentine Osakwe and Zerryn Gines, Peep Connect

Techstars arrival: Find that ‘ride or die’ investor who answers your 3 am calls, founder says

By Tommy Felts / September 2, 2021

Even in a startup’s early stages, founders need both a roadmap and destination, said Zerryn Gines. “You don’t need to know exactly what you’re doing every step of the way, but if you know where you want to go — then you can connect to the right people and ask the right questions,” explained Gines,…

Read More >

Two years after top KC startup’s sale, Zego (and its new owner) acquired for nearly $1B

By Tommy Felts / June 18, 2021

The company that acquired Kansas City-based Zego in 2019 — and liked the real estate tech startup’s brand so much it changed its own identity to match — has itself now been purchased by a global “powerhouse” in an all-cash transaction valued at $925 million. Zego — formerly PayLease — announced the acquisition by Global…

Read More >
Lesa Mitchell, Techstars Kansas City

Expanded Techstars role means more eyes on KC, Lesa Mitchell says; accelerator returns in June

By Tommy Felts / March 16, 2021

Lesa Mitchell’s promotion within Techstars — a Boulder, Colorado-based accelerator network with global reach — is a value-add for Kansas City, she said Monday. The outgoing managing director of Techstars’ local program also teased the popular accelerator’s summer return. “My new role simply means we have more Techstars staff in KC,” said Mitchell, Techstars’ newly announced…

Read More >
[adinserter block="4"]