Funding Stories

Biotech startup’s $6.5M Series A expected to cultivate expanded workforce, research capabilities

Ronawk’s Bio-Block Universe has already revolutionized cell and tissue production, Tom Jantsch said, and the recent investment of $6.5 million is set to further research and development. “We have really changed the paradigm of how not only cell culture is done, but how researchers are able to scale. They can go from the bench, all…

VinCue leadership team: Michael Hopkins, chief marketing officer; Danny Zaslavsky, managing partner; Chris Hoke, CEO and co-founder; and Nic Hodges, COO

Autotech startup VINCUE secures Series B with fleet of industry investors, innovators

A downtown Kansas City-headquartered startup’s first major institutional investment is expected to enable the company to scale operations, advance its product roadmap, and meet increasing market demand, its co-founders said Tuesday.  VINCUE — an end-to-end inventory lifecycle solution for retail automotive dealerships and one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2022 —…

Porter House KC earns MO infrastructure grant, pushing its retail incubator closer to opening

Funding from a pilot physical infrastructure grants program is expected to help The Porter House KC complete phase 2 of the build out for its new 811 Retail Incubator, focused on boosting retail entrepreneurs from the urban core. “This grant will allow us to serve over 90 small businesses focused on retail operations within the…

LaunchKC grants competition eyes startups hoping to scale in KC; Applications now open

When LaunchKC’s next round of grant recipients are announced this fall during Global Entrepreneurship Week, winning startups will receive game-changing exposure in addition to the $50,000 in prize money, said Jon Ruiz. His venture, EB Systems, was among six winners in 2022 when the popular grants competition was rebooted by LaunchKC after a four-year hiatus…

Trio of Kansas City startups among Missouri’s latest equity investments; $2.4M awarded in July

Three high-profile tech startups in Kansas City each earned a portion of the $2.4 million awarded in July by the Missouri Technology Corporation, the agency announced this week “We are thrilled to announce another set of awards to support the high-tech, high-growth startups committed to growing in Missouri,” said Jack Scatizzi, executive director of MTC….