Funding Stories

10 finalists vying for ‘Fan Favorite’ in AltCap Your Biz competition; Here’s how to vote

AltCap’s marquee GEWKC competition for emerging entrepreneurs is returning in November, but fans of the businesses can cast votes now to determine a $2,500 “fan favorite” winner at the coming pitch event. Ten finalists for the AltCap Your Biz competition were announced this week. The live pitch day is set for Nov. 17 at iWerx…

Troost capital project hits $15M goal; 2023 completion expected to address ‘blight at the heart’ of trauma in KC

Reconciliation Services recently crossed the finish line of a $14.9 million capital campaign to breathe new life into its aging homebase at one of Kansas City’s most bustling intersections, said Father Justin Mathews. “We were able to complete the $15 million raise in approximately 18 months, which is a tribute to the generosity of Kansas…

LaunchKC finalists: Meet 13 tech startups vying for six $50K grants in rebooted competition

A revived LaunchKC grants competition is set to return in mid-November with more than a dozen companies vying for $300,000 in non-dilutive funding. Finalists were announced Friday. The 13 Kansas City companies selected to compete Nov. 15 were narrowed from more than 90 applicants, said Becca Castro, strategic initiatives manager at the Economic Development Corporation…

KC firm invests $56M in LGTB+ owned 10KC to reimagine a more inclusive workplace (that employees won’t want to leave)

A funding infusion from a leading Kansas City venture capital firm comes at a critical time as employees struggle to connect in a hybrid work world, said Ten Thousand Coffees (10KC), announcing its first institutional raise since the company’s 2014 formation in Toronto. Originally bootstrapped, 10KC will use the $56 million investment from Five Elms…

Mid x Midwest aims to connect 50 VCs with 50 startups; why this new meetup is coming to KC

Traveling throughout the U.S. for business, Dan Kerr regularly comes across investors who have heard rumblings about the burgeoning Kansas City tech startup ecosystem, he said. But one problem persists: most of these potential funders have never stepped foot in Kansas City. “Really what got my gears turning is that I have a big network…