News Stories

Sailes closes $5.1M investment round led by STL firm, with KCRise Fund, Wichita VC

The foundation for Sailes has always been solving difficult problems for sales teams, said Nick Smith; the success of a Series A funding round for the startup will power new tools toward that goal.  “Everyone is on this AI hype train, and we’ve been for AI for a while. But it’s not just about using…

Jabbok Schlacks, EquipmentShare

EquipmentShare completes another $150M equity raise, building on its Series E funding

COLUMBIA, Missouri — The latest tranche of funding for EquipmentShare puts mid-Missouri’s most earth-moving scaleup close to a half-billion dollars in funding announced over the past six months. EquipmentShare, a Columbia-based equipment and digital solutions provider serving the construction industry, on Wednesday announced it completed an extension of its Series E equity raise, led by funds…

Tesseract Ventures' Alert Route Lighting System illustration

Tesseract Ventures illuminates its work with US military, lighting new alert system for air force base

A new military contract showcases Tesseract Ventures’ versatility and sophistication in the national security tech space, said John Boucard, touting the Overland Park-based company’s cutting-edge Alert Route Lighting System planned for MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. “Tesseract continues its focused mission to revolutionize the way people live, work, and play by developing state-of-the-art technologies…

Anonymous donor makes $50M commitment to KU School of Business; largest gift in school history

LAWRENCE — A hefty anonymous donation is expected to transform business education and research at the KU School of Business, said Paige Fields, noting the $50 million commitment will also provide funds to advance key initiatives supporting undergraduate student success. “This transformative gift supports the School of Business’ ongoing commitment to excellence in research and…

Why the KC Pioneers refuse to stay in their lane; esports league teams with Kansas Speedway for weekend event

First they watched from stadium seats at the speedway, then from pit road. Now the fans-turned collaborators at the KC Pioneers are on track with one of their biggest partners to date: NASCAR. Kansas City’s premiere esports league has teamed up with the Kansas Speedway to bring traditional racing and esports gaming into the same…