Ideem locks in $2.4M seed round for trust tech spinout driven by Toby Rush, startup veterans

By Tommy Felts | April 15, 2025

The Ideem team has a clear vision for how to make two-factor authentication easy and invisible for users, serial tech entrepreneur Toby Rush said, noting an early investment round will help the rapidly emerging startup double-down. Ideem announced a $2.4 million seed round Tuesday, backed by Sovereign’s Capital, Quona Capital, Everywhere Ventures, Hustle Fund, Oread…

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New CEO for one of KC’s most-talked-about startups could be the first step toward an IPO

By Tommy Felts | September 26, 2023

A new CEO for Kansas City-based TripleBlind allows the privacy tech startup to advance into a growth stage company — one potentially headed toward a public offering — taking advantage of recent momentum around enterprise artificial intelligence solutions, said Riddhiman Das. TripleBlind on Monday announced the appointment of Prat Moghe, former executive vice president of…

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VC summit: It’s a great place to ‘keep your head down and build’ — but is ‘KC nice’ slowing potential?

By Tommy Felts | November 16, 2022

Building a startup in Kansas City comes with a mix of unique benefits and challenges, said serial entrepreneurs Riddhiman Das and Toby Rush, who both agreed the local ecosystem is enjoying “significant” momentum — while pushing the startup scene to be “more aggressive and more brutally honest.” “When you’re on an exponential growth curve, whenever…

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10 years later: Google Fiber boosted city’s ‘capacity for collaboration,’ former mayor says

By Tommy Felts | October 14, 2022

Instant success catalyzed by the arrival of high-speed internet 10 years ago uploaded more than hype for Kansas City, said Sly James, noting Google Fiber’s significant role in reshaping the community as a tech city to envy. Opening unparalleled innovation and civic brand-building opportunities, Google’s selection of Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, as…

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