Five years after stepping onto the Pure Pitch Rally stage, Jordan Williams is proving that some of the best startup breakthroughs come from listening closely to customers. Williams, co-founder of Kansas City startup Veeper, recently shared how the company evolved from helping Shopify merchants optimize discounts to tackling a much bigger challenge, and how [...]
A rising Kansas City startup is gaining national attention. Pure Pitch Rally 2022 alum AskSAMIE has been selected for the Techstars Workforce Development Accelerator, securing a $220,000 investment and access to a global network of mentors, operators and founders. AskSAMIE is a healthtech startup connecting people with occupational therapists and solutions for safer, [...]
NXTUS has revealed the 32 startups selected for the 2026 Gamechangers and Champions bracket style pitch competition. Chosen from 75 applicants spanning 14 Kansas counties, five Pure Pitch Rally alumni are advancing in one of the most competitive startup competitions of the year. Among the selected entrepreneurs who will now [...]
Pure Pitch Rally alumCodeAlgo Academy has officially launched in K-8 classrooms, and founder Triumfia Houmbie Fulks says the platform is now fully independent. Introduced this fall, CodeAlgo lets students solve coding challenges while playing interactive games, without the need of any engineers or classroom facilitators to be present. Since September, the platform has expanded [...]
Kansas City’s innovation scene is kicking off 2026 with momentum, and two Pure Pitch Rally alumni are lighting the way. Roz and Resonus were recently named in Startland News’ 10 Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2026, spotlighting companies poised to make waves in the region this year. For Roz, the recognition follows a year [...]
The start of 2026 is bringing fresh fuel to innovative founders in Kansas City. Two Pure Pitch Rally alumni — SiteScan and BeAligned —were recently selected for Digital Sandbox KC’s Q4 2025 cohort, securing proof-of-concept funding aimed at helping high-potential technologies move from development to real-world adoption. Digital Sandbox KC backs startups that are [...]
There’s big momentum for climate-tech innovation in the Pure Pitch Rally community: Icorium Engineering Company has landed a $1.2 million NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant to accelerate commercialization of its refrigerant reclaim technology. The funding supports Icorium’s transition from pilot validation to full commercial deployment, targeting reduced climate impact from refrigerants [...]
Kansas City’s Scout, a startup transforming veterinary medicine workflows, has closed a pre-seen funding round led by KCRise Fund, with participation from eGrowth Ventures, Service Provider Capital and a group of distinguished angel investors. The company plans to use this round to expand its team, enhance its platform and continue shaping the future of [...]
Pure Pitch Rally returns October 27, 2025, for its 10th birthday celebration at the iconic Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, marking a decade of innovation, collaboration and impact across Kansas City’s startup ecosystem. This milestone year shines a spotlight on eight remarkable founders whose ventures represent the diversity, boldness and creativity defining Kansas City’s tech future. [...]
From nights and weekends to national attention, Roz is proving that Kansas City hustle can power big-time innovation. Co-founders Sarah Hampton and Donnie Hampton built Roz from a simple pain point: compliance is broken. Now, the Olathe-based AI startup is automating the most complex and tedious parts of the compliance process to help enterprise [...]