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C2FO raises another big round of capital
Leawood, Kansas based C2FO raised $200 million last week from a variety of investors, including SoftBank. This fundraising caused the valuation of the company to move over $1B – making it a Silicon Prairie unicorn.[1] C2FO is a payment management platform that helps small businesses received payment on contracts on expedited terms. Essentially, small businesses…
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BasicBlock secures $675k investment
BasicBlock, a Lincoln-based startup that facilitates transactions in the trucking industry, announced Monday that it had secured $675k in pre-seed financing from Global Financial Group (“GFG”). GFG was joined in the financing by Jason Calacanis, Jenny Fielding, Invest Nebraska, and other angels. In May, Silicon Prairie News reported that BasicBlock had received outside funding (https://spnewsnjt.wpengine.com/2019/05/lincoln-based-basicblock-continues-expansion-and-evolution/). …
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FanFood announces partnership with Samsung
Last week, SPN had the chance to speak with Carson Goodale, founder, and CEO of FanFood. FanFood was originally formed in Iowa but the company has since moved to Chicago to pursue their business. FanFood is a mobile ordering and concessions management platform designed to improve the fan experience while streamlining the concessions management and…
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VetMeasure receives early funding from Ames Seed Fund
On August 7th, VetMeasure announced a $100k investment by the Ames Seed Fund. The investment will provide the necessary runway for the company to expand their animal health monitoring products. Vetmeasure is an Ames based creator of a “harness” that measures the health of an animal’s heart and other key health statistics. The harness can…
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Benson Hill Biosystems continues strong fundraising efforts
In early August 2019, Benson Hill Biosystems filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the firm had raised $32 million in incremental funds. This fundraising filing follows a November filing of a $65 million raise, including regional funds – Mercury Fund, iSelect Ventures, and Lewis & Clark Ventures. The company provides a variety…
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Cameo Secures Massive Series B Round
Cameo is a Chicago-based startup that makes it possible to buy personalized shout-outs from celebrities and influencers. In June 2019 they received $50 million in a round of series B funding led by American venture capitalist firm, Kleiner Perkins. After the injection of funds, the company has increased its valuation from $250 million to $300 million. …
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Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Provides Funds
The Iowa Economic Development Authority (“IEDA”) announced that five companies had received demonstration funds from IEDA last week The five companies funded by the IEDA are: Home Painter received a proof of concept loan of $25,000, Lender Close received a Propel Loan of $250,000 from the Iowa Acceleration Fund, MakuSafe received a…
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Minneapolis-Based Upsie Raise Big Series A Round
Upsie, a tech company that focuses on supplying warranties for various devices based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, received $5 million in Series A Early Stage Venture funding from a group of venture capitalists headed by Silicon-Valley based tech investors, True Ventures, In May. Upsie provides a consumer-friendly platform for the purchase of affordable warranties. Clarence Bethea, CEO said “We want consumers…
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3E Software Raise Late-Stage VC
In June 2019, 3E Software, a Fayetteville, Arkansas company that simplifies and improves financial systems through the use of their online platform, received $300 thousand in a round of late-stage venture capitalist funding sponsored by Community Bank Investors of America and Cadron Capital Partners. 3E Software provides its financial software through its platform, Teslar. Teslar is based…
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8Qs with a Silicon Prairie Founder: Darcy Howe
Growing up in St. Louis, my first boss picked me up at my parent’s house, popped open two beers, and without seatbelts, drove to Kansas City. That was the 70’s. Since then I’ve lived in NYC and then 36 years in KC, where my partners and I built the largest private wealth practice in our…