<p><a href="https://www.scale-vc.com/">Scale VC</a>, a venture capital fund based in Columbia, Missouri, has announced the closing of a $5 million fund that will invest in and support early-stage tech founders.<br /> </p> <p>Through the new fund, Scale VC will invest $50,0000-$150,000 in 30-40 companies over the next three years.</p> <p>The new fund includes a $1 million investment from the <a href="https://www.umsystem.edu/">University of Missouri System</a>, an anchor investment from Columbia-based Shelter Insurance along with other ..read more

<br /> <p dir="ltr">The Show Me Jobs project, a new partnership between MOSourceLink and Green Hills Regional Planning Commission fueled by $727,919 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant, will aim to create jobs, increase sales, start new businesses and spur more positive economic outcomes for five counties in the rural Green Hills Region of northwest Missouri over four years.</p> <p dir="ltr">The project will deliver technical assistance to build business capacity, increase supply chain connections, learn abou ..read more

<br /> <p dir="ltr">Tech entrepreneurs and innovative founders, listen up: The Missouri Technology Corporation is now accepting applications for its <a href="https://www.missouritechnology.com/commercialization-programs">IDEA Fund Co-Investment Programs</a>, which provide financing to eligible businesses through components that correspond to the stages of growth for investment-grade, high-growth enterprises:<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.missouritechnology.com/commercialization-programs/missouri-techlaunch">TechLaunch Co-Investment Program</a> ..read more

<p>Three months into their marriage, Brooke and Nicholas Bartlett began making homemade popcorn.</p> <p>“We were broke,” Brooke says. “We wouldn’t even buy chips for parties. We’d bring the popcorn. Somebody said, ‘You should start a popcorn business.’ So [Nicholas] really got to work and put his whole heart into the flavors.”</p> <p>It got to the point where Nicholas making delicious popcorn – dubbed GoPo Gourmet Popcorn – wasn’t enough, so Brooke became the marketing, packaging and customers service arm of GoPo, based in Fulton, Missouri.</p> <p>“You ..read more

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic has created ups and downs for many entrepreneurs as opportunities for growth have been paired with obstacles, forcing many to get creative and find workarounds. Entrepreneurs like Jeff and Amanda DeWit, owners of custom home services company<a href="https://www.11northllc.com/"> </a><a href="https://www.11northllc.com/">11 North</a> at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, show that the present difficulties are helping shape a picture of what they want their business to be in the future. The couple experienced business gains in 2020, but 202 ..read more

<p>Dave Alburty isn’t afraid to think outside of the box. When he started his business, he didn’t want to live close to work. He wanted to work close to home.</p> <p>“I chose Drexel, Missouri, for my first company because I wanted to start a company where I wanted to live,” he says.</p> <p>With a population hovering between 900 and 1,000 residents, Drexel is a hidden gem south of Kansas City, and it has been perfect for Dave’s ventures. He started AlburtyLab and then microbiology tool manufacturer <a href="https://www.innovaprep.com/">InnovaPrep LLC</a> ..read more

<p dir="ltr">Missouri’s high-tech companies are high-impact companies: They grow jobs faster, pay higher wages and offset job losses from early-stage business closures. Their economic impact is made clear in MOSourceLink’s latest "Show Me Jobs" report.</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2021, new tech startups, defined in "Show Me Jobs" as first-time employers in tech industries with fewer than 20 employees, created 1,297 new jobs, recouping a dip in jobs created by new tech firms in 2019 and 2020. Accounting for the employees hired in each year from 2017 through 2020, as well as job losses ..read more

<p dir="ltr">Michael S. Carmona will further champion Missouri entrepreneurs in his new role as the senior director for MOSourceLink, a program of the UMKC Innovation Center that links entrepreneurs to the right resources to start and grow businesses and helps build collaborations to fill gaps in the Missouri entrepreneurial ecosystem.</p> <p dir="ltr">In his role as MOSourceLink’s director and network builder, Carmona will work beside the 230+ business-building organizations in the MOSourceLink network to increase access and visibility of these resources to entrepreneurs and ..read more

<p dir="ltr">Missouri’s high-tech companies are high-impact companies: They grow jobs faster, pay higher wages and offset job losses from early-stage business closures. Their economic impact is made clear in MOSourceLink’s latest "Show Me Jobs" report.</p> <p dir="ltr">In 2021, new tech startups, defined in "Show Me Jobs" as first-time employers in tech industries with fewer than 20 employees, created 1,297 new jobs, recouping a dip in jobs created by new tech firms in 2019 and 2020. Accounting for the employees hired in each year from 2017 through 2020, as well as job losses ..read more

<p dir="ltr">Michael S. Carmona will further champion Missouri entrepreneurs in his new role as the senior director for MOSourceLink, a program of the UMKC Innovation Center that links entrepreneurs to the right resources to start and grow businesses and helps build collaborations to fill gaps in the Missouri entrepreneurial ecosystem.</p> <p dir="ltr">In his role as MOSourceLink’s director and network builder, Carmona will work beside the 230+ business-building organizations in the MOSourceLink network to increase access and visibility of these resources to entrepreneurs and ..read more