Funding Stories

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…

Just funded: Big ‘Pure Pitch’ winners swim with the sharks, earn thousands in cash on the spot

A winning afternoon at the Pure Pitch Rally is validation Dr. Brandy Archie’s healthtech accessibility app is providing connections people actually need, she said. “That’s the most important thing to me,” said Archie, founder of AskSAMIE. “The funds are going to a good cause, but this lets me know that this new idea that I…

New grant from Porter House KC helps business owners ‘Scale Deep’; applications close Oct. 24

An additional funding opportunity for select small businesses is now available thanks to a seed planted years ago by The Porter House KC. The nonprofit has partnered with the JPMorgan Chase Foundation for the new Scale Deep Grant, which will disperse $30,000 between three small businesses for back office support, equipment cost, rental assistance, and…

Why NMotion gives founders (without a startup) $100K and tells them to forget their assumptions

Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. LINCOLN,…

Missouri receives $95M from federal initiative to boost startup, small business growth

A newly announced $27 million in federal funds earmarked to support small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs is headed to Missouri, representing the first of three awards approved by the U.S. Department of Treasury — totaling $95 million — to be deployed through the Missouri Technology Corporation. The funding comes via the State Small Business Credit Initiative,…