Entrepreneur magazine this month revealed its latest “100 Brilliant Companies” list. Among better-known companies such as GitHub, KISSmetrics and MakerBot are dozens of startups beginning to make their mark in one of 10 areas, including sustainability and gaming, highlighted by the magazine. Four Silicon Prairie-based startups made this year’s edition: PlanetReuse, Opendorse by Hurrdat, AgLocal and Modern Meadow.
It’s fitting, of course, that half of the region’s picks—the latter two—are in the publication’s “Rural Life” category. And another startup in the category—Wide Open Spaces—is a Dundee Venture Capital portfolio company. Maybe next year the region will own that category.
Here’s a closer look at the honored companies:
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Kansas City, Mo. Thanks to our sponsor  Entrepreneur writes: Winner of SXSW’s Eco Startup Showcase, PlanetReuse matches salvaged building materials with designers and contractors to cut project costs and promote sustainable construction. Others in Sustainability: ecoATM, Goal Zero, Green Toys, Organic Transit, PaperKarma, Sunrun, gDiapers, Root3 Technologies, Define Bottle Read more on entreprenuer.com |
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Lincoln, Neb. Entrepreneur writes: Brands and athletes can use opendorse software to streamline the endorsement process with features like a matching algorithm and a transparent communication platform for deal negotiation. Others in Sports & Recreation: numberFire, T1 Helmet, SkyPro, Scrubba, PerformTek, InterLock, LiveTrekker, DraftKings and Moves Read more on entreprenuer.com |
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Prairie Village, Kan., and San Francisco Entrepreneur writes: AgLocal scored $1 million in funding last year from Andreessen Horowitz for an online platform that allows local and family farms to sell responsibly raised meat directly to consumers. Others in Rural Life: Modern Meadow, Freight Farms, Front Yard Coop, Wide Open Spaces, FarmersOnly.com, WildBlue, Rent-a-Goat.com, Metwit and Kusa Read more on entrepreneur.com |
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Columbia, Mo. Entrepreneur writes: Here’s a crazy idea: Combine 3-D printing and tissue engineering to “print” animal products and tackle some of the planet’s biggest problems. … Enter Gabor and Andras Forgacs, father-and-son founders of Modern Meadow, a company they started in 2011 that may very well be the model for the farm of the future. (Read full feature article) Others in Rural Life: AgLocal, Freight Farms, Front Yard Coop, Wide Open Spaces, FarmersOnly.com, WildBlue, Rent-a-Goat.com, Metwit and Kusa Read more on entrepreneur.com |
Past “Brilliant Companies” honorees from the Silicon Prairie include Dwolla (2012) and SmartyPig (2011).
