Established in 2014 and headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, Kompass Kapital Management is a private equity firm specializing in expansion capital and growth capital investments. It typically invests between $3 million to $15 million, taking minority stakes in operating companies, partnerships, funds, financial instruments, and real assets.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, established in the mid-1960s by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, is a prominent philanthropic organization based in Kansas City, Missouri, with assets of around $2 billion. The foundation's mission is to cultivate a society of economically independent individuals who actively engage in improving their communities. To achieve this vision, the Kauffman Foundation concentrates its efforts on two primary areas: education and entrepreneurship. These focus areas reflect Kauffman's belief in the interconnectedness of education and entrepreneurial spirit as essential components for fostering individual and community development.

Founded by Darcy Howe in 2016, KCRise Fund is a venture capital firm based in Kansas City, Missouri. It invests alongside other institutional investors in early-stage companies located in Kansas and the western half of Missouri. The fund focuses on sectors such as software, TMT, B2B products/services, energy, financial services, healthcare, and information technology.

Founded in 2013, Stray Dog Capital is a venture capital firm based in Leawood, Kansas. It specializes in early-stage investments, focusing on businesses that drive alternatives to the use of animals in the supply chain across food, beverage, and biotechnology sectors in the United States and Europe.

Mid-America Angels is a business angel group founded in 2006 and headquartered in Fairway, Kansas, with additional offices in Lenexa and Lawrence, Kansas. The organization focuses on funding start-up and early-stage companies primarily in the Kansas-Missouri region and within a 150-mile radius of Kansas City. It engages a network of accredited investors to identify and finance opportunities, typically participating in seed, Series A, and Series B funding rounds. Mid-America Angels aims to invest between $250,000 and $1,500,000 in promising ventures, and may consider investments outside its primary geographic area in collaboration with other angel networks or investment organizations. The group's structure allows it to leverage the collective knowledge, experience, and capital of its members to support the growth of emerging businesses.

An early-stage venture capital firm investing $100k-$250k in US-based B2B Vertical SaaS and FinTech companies, focusing on principled entrepreneurs solving real problems.

Five Elms Capital is a Kansas City, Missouri-based growth equity firm focused on technology-facing, B2B software companies. Founded in 2007, it provides capital and resources to help fast-growing software businesses scale and strengthen their market leadership. The firm operates globally, managing over $2.4 billion in assets and supported by a global team of more than 70 investment professionals, with a track record of backing more than 65 software platforms.

Founded in 2008, OPENAIR Equity Partners is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in mobile/wireless and connected device startups within the technology sector.

Nueterra Capital is a venture capital investment firm based in Leawood, Kansas, founded in 1997. The firm focuses on investing exclusively in early and growth-stage healthcare companies, aiming to empower entrepreneurs by providing them with the necessary capital, resources, and expertise to drive innovation in the healthcare sector. By aligning its investments with the needs of these companies, Nueterra Capital facilitates business expansion and the creation of new growth opportunities. In addition to healthcare, the firm has interests in consumer products and services, real estate, and technology sectors.

The Kansas Bioscience Authority is a venture capital provider focused on advancing bioscience innovations across various sectors, including agribusiness, animal health, human health, and life sciences technology. With the largest concentration of animal health companies globally, Kansas serves as a hub for groundbreaking research in oncology, information technology, medical devices, and other critical areas impacting human health. The authority leverages the state's strong agricultural heritage to foster advancements that benefit both the bioscience industry and the broader economy.

Leawood Venture Capital, established in 2016, is a Kansas-based private equity firm specializing in early-stage investments in tech companies across the United States. With a team comprising successful founders and experienced business operators, the firm leverages its extensive market and technology expertise to add value to its portfolio. Focusing on sectors such as technology, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, Leawood Venture Capital has invested in over 25 companies since its inception.

Firebrand Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2016 and based in Kansas City, Missouri, with additional offices in Austin and Boulder. It concentrates on early-stage investments in software and technology startups, with a preference for companies in the United States and Canada and for opportunities arising in communities underserved by traditional venture capital. The firm supports early-stage companies as they scale, focusing on software and technology sectors.

Novel Capital is a fintech funding platform that provides non-dilutive, revenue-based financing to B2B software companies. It centers on future recurring revenue, enabling entrepreneurs to access capital immediately without giving up equity. The platform pairs capital with data-driven insights and learning resources to help growth-stage businesses accelerate scale. Using key company data points and financial metrics, it delivers capital, resources, and strategic support tailored to recurring-revenue models, helping ventures grow faster while preserving ownership. The company aims to support entrepreneurs and growing businesses with flexible funding solutions aligned to revenue streams and momentum, contributing to a thriving startup ecosystem.

Established in 1892, Sunflower Bank is a comprehensive financial institution headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It offers a range of personal banking services including checking and savings accounts, mortgages, and loans. For businesses, the bank provides deposit services, loans, treasury management solutions, and trust and wealth management services.

Equity Bancshares, Inc. serves as the bank holding company for Equity Bank, a commercial bank based in Wichita, Kansas. Founded in 2002, the bank offers a comprehensive range of financial services primarily targeting businesses, business owners, and individuals. It accepts various deposits, including demand, savings, money market, and time deposits. The bank's loan offerings encompass commercial loans, real estate-backed financing, working capital loans, and various consumer loans, catering to a diverse clientele that includes national and regional companies, restaurant franchisees, hoteliers, and agribusinesses. Additionally, Equity Bank provides a suite of online and mobile banking solutions, debit card services, and treasury management options. As of December 31, 2019, the bank operated 52 full-service branches across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, making it a significant player in the regional banking landscape.

The U.S. Department of Energy is a government agency established in 1977, located in Washington, D.C. Its primary mission is to ensure the security and prosperity of the nation by tackling energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges. The Department focuses on promoting transformative scientific and technological solutions to address these issues, thereby supporting the country's energy needs and environmental sustainability.

Koch Industries is a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, with subsidiaries involved in manufacturing, refining, trading, and investments. The company operates in core industries including the manufacture and distribution of petroleum, chemicals, energy, fiber, intermediates and polymers, minerals, and fertilizers, as well as pulp and paper, chemical technology equipment, ranching, finance, and commodities trading. Its portfolio includes Invista, Georgia-Pacific, Flint Hills Resources, Koch Pipeline, Koch Fertilizer, Koch Minerals, and Matador Cattle Company, reflecting a broad footprint across materials, energy, and consumer and industrial sectors. The group employs more than 100,000 people across more than 50 countries. Through investment arms such as Koch Equity Development and Koch Investments Group, the company pursues strategic acquisitions and venture initiatives to expand capabilities and value chains while maintaining a focus on innovation and vertical integration across its businesses.

Founded in 1996, MPM Capital is a global investment firm focused on the healthcare and life sciences sectors. It specializes in early-stage investments, typically ranging from $5 million to $50 million, with a primary focus on biotechnology, oncology, medical technology, and specialty pharma. The firm invests globally, with a concentration in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Riley Permian specializes in high-growth energy exploration in the Permian Basin, focusing on horizontal development of the San Andres Formation.

Custom Truck One Source, based in Kansas City and established in 1996 by the Ross family, is a leading provider of specialty equipment across various sectors including electric utility transmission and distribution, forestry, telecommunications, waste management, rail, and infrastructure in North America. As the largest independent truck dealer and body builder in the United States, the company operates nine facilities that specialize in the design, engineering, fabrication, parts, service, sales, and rental of a diverse range of equipment. Custom Truck One Source offers comprehensive solutions through its Equipment Rental Solutions, Truck and Equipment Sales, and Aftermarket Parts and Services segments, with the majority of its revenue generated from equipment sales. Known for its innovative contributions to the industry, the company has introduced features such as wireless remote controls and off-road axle configurations, solidifying its reputation for excellence in equipment solutions.

Physician Housecalls specializes in providing home-based primary care services across Oklahoma and Kansas. They offer chronic care management, wellness visits, behavioral health integration, and transition management services to patients in private homes and post-acute facilities.

Fulcrum Global Capital is a venture capital firm based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 2016, it focuses on investing in companies operating in agriculture, agtech, food production, food safety, food waste, and animal health.

Linseed Capital is an angel investment firm founded in 2005 and based in Omaha, Nebraska. It focuses on investing in startups primarily within the Midwest region of the United States.

C3 Capital Partners, LP is a private equity firm based in Kansas City, Missouri, with additional offices in Dallas, Texas. Established in 1994, the firm specializes in investing in small to middle-market companies across various sectors, including energy, healthcare, specialty chemicals, consumer products, and business services. C3 Capital focuses on growth capital, buyouts, industry consolidation, and recapitalization transactions, typically investing between $2 million and $15 million in companies with sales ranging from $10 million to $210 million and EBITDA between $1 million and $20 million. The firm prefers to take board representation but does not seek controlling stakes in its investments. C3 Capital has a history of investing over $300 million in 63 small businesses and is led by experienced principals with extensive backgrounds in private equity and management across several industries.

Great Range Capital is a Kansas-based private equity firm founded in 2010 that targets middle-market opportunities in the Midwest. Headquartered in Mission Woods, it pursues leveraged and management buyouts, mature and later-stage investments, industry consolidation, recapitalizations, build-ups, growth financings, and structured equity. The firm focuses on companies in business and industrial services, niche manufacturing, healthcare services and devices, retail and consumer, and media. It operates as a registered investment adviser and seeks to invest in companies with meaningful scale across the Midwest market.

Hostess Brands, Inc. is a packaged food company specializing in the development, manufacturing, marketing, sale, and distribution of fresh sweet baked goods across the United States. Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, the company offers a diverse portfolio of products, including snack cakes, donuts, sweet rolls, breakfast pastries, cookies, and snack pies. Hostess operates through two primary segments: Sweet Baked Goods, which includes both fresh and frozen offerings under renowned brands such as Hostess, Dolly Madison, Cloverhill, and Big Texas, as well as store-branded products, and In-Store Bakery, which focuses on items like eclairs, madeleines, brownies, and iced cookies sold in grocery and club store bakery sections. Hostess Brands aims to deliver beloved treats to consumers, maintaining a strong presence in the North American market.

Midwest Growth Partners is a private investment firm that focuses on growth-stage companies.

St. Croix Hospice is a prominent provider of hospice services for patients facing life-limiting illnesses. With 21 office locations across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, the company offers a comprehensive range of services designed to support patients, their families, and caregivers. These services include physician care, nursing, hospice aide assistance, continuous care nursing during crises, social services, spiritual care, therapy, nutritional counseling, and routine medical check-ups. St. Croix Hospice focuses on enhancing the comfort and quality of life for those with terminal diagnoses while addressing their physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs.

DataBank Holdings, Ltd. is a data center and co-location company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with additional facilities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Eagan, Kansas City, and Atlanta. Founded in 2004, DataBank provides a comprehensive array of services, including co-location solutions that ensure security, power configurations, and cooling. The company also offers managed services such as cloud computing, virtual hosting, network connectivity, and security, along with consulting services that encompass design and implementation, migration, and continuity planning. DataBank emphasizes compliance with various industry standards, including those for payment card security and health data protection. Catering to a diverse clientele across sectors like healthcare, finance, gaming, and hospitality, DataBank is committed to optimizing IT environments and ensuring data availability for enterprises.

Paragon Development Systems, headquartered in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, operates multiple offices across the Midwest and provides information technology services to a diverse clientele nationwide. The company focuses on four primary markets: healthcare, government and higher education, corporate, and professional services. PDS offers a range of services including digital workspace solutions, security, digital infrastructure, staffing, and enterprise technology services. By delivering these services, PDS aims to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and improve both customer and employee satisfaction, while ensuring greater compliance for its clients. As a leading technology services provider in the region, PDS continues to adapt and innovate in response to the evolving needs of its customers.

Founded in 2015, Vantedge Partners is a private equity firm based in Overland Park, Kansas. It specializes in middle market investments across various sectors including industrial, distribution, business services, restaurants, sports, infrastructure, technology, and consumer goods.

Anschutz Family Foundation is an independent Denver-based family foundation established in 1982 by Fred and Marian Pfister Anschutz. It focuses on strengthening Colorado communities through grantmaking and capacity-building in areas such as community development, economic development, crisis intervention, services for disabled people, shelter and homelessness, low-income housing, literacy, senior programs, youth development, and children. The foundation supports nonprofit organizations across Colorado and has pursued rural outreach through initiatives like Colorado Rural Philanthropy Days to connect metro funders with rural communities, aiming to broaden funding and collaboration. By directing resources and collaborating with other funders, it seeks to enhance nonprofit capacity and sustainable impact in human and community needs.

Triumph Bancorp, Inc. is a financial holding company based in Dallas, Texas, that operates TBK Bank, SSB, offering a wide range of banking and commercial finance products and services primarily to retail customers and small-to-mid-sized businesses across the United States. The company is organized into Banking, Factoring, and Corporate segments, providing depository products such as checking and savings accounts, as well as various types of loans including commercial, industrial, and real estate loans. Additionally, Triumph Bancorp offers factoring services, equipment financing, and consumer loans, alongside electronic banking, trust, treasury management, and insurance brokerage services. The company has a significant presence with branches in several states, including Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, and Texas, along with loan production offices to support its diverse customer base.

Founded in 1910, BOK Financial is a regional financial services company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It offers a wide range of products and services to consumers and businesses through its subsidiaries, including banking, investment management, mortgage banking, cash management, brokerage, and trading services.

IMA Financial Group, Inc. is a prominent provider of risk management, insurance, employee benefits, and wealth management services. As the ninth largest privately held and employee-owned insurance broker in the United States, the firm employs approximately 650 associates across its offices in Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, New York, and Texas. IMA focuses on financial advisory strategies, goal-based planning, and retirement income modeling, ensuring that clients can achieve secure asset optimization and investment strategies. By balancing risk and return, IMA enables its customers to effectively manage their portfolios in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, based in Kansas City, Missouri, was established in 1946 and operates as a subsidiary of Americo Life. The company specializes in a comprehensive range of life insurance, medicare supplement insurance, and annuity products, all designed to meet the specific needs of its policyholders and agents. Americo distributes its insurance offerings through a network of independent agents across the United States. The firm is known for its customer-centric approach, focusing on innovative solutions and maintaining high industry standards to enhance client satisfaction. With a commitment to effective management and forward-thinking strategies, Americo aims to be a leader in the insurance market.

Spire Inc. is a public utility holding company based in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in the purchase, distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers across the United States. The company operates primarily through two segments: Gas Utility and Gas Marketing. Its Gas Utility segment provides safe and reliable natural gas services to over 1.13 million customers in St. Louis, eastern Missouri, Kansas City, and western Missouri. The Gas Marketing segment involves the marketing of natural gas and offers energy services to both regulated and non-regulated customers. In addition to its core natural gas operations, Spire engages in the transportation of propane, compression of natural gas, risk management, and physical natural gas storage services. Founded in 1857, Spire Inc. was originally known as The Laclede Group, Inc. until it rebranded in April 2016.

CURO Financial Technologies Corp. is a technology-enabled, diversified consumer finance company serving underbanked consumers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It provides a range of short-term and consumer lending products, including payday, title and installment loans, and personal lines of credit, along with ancillary financial services such as check cashing, money transfers, money orders, prepaid cards, and cash for gold. The company operates through stores, online, and phone channels, supported by a unified omni-channel platform that integrates loan underwriting, scoring, servicing, collections, regulatory compliance, and reporting across store, online, mobile, and contact center touchpoints.

Enterprise Bank & Trust is a Clayton, Missouri-based commercial bank focused on privately held businesses, offering commercial banking and wealth management services. The bank operates 28 branch offices across the St. Louis, Kansas City, and Phoenix metropolitan areas and provides a full range of business and personal banking products, along with trust and wealth services through its Enterprise Trust division. Enterprise Trust provides financial planning, estate planning, investment management, and trust services to businesses, individuals, institutions, retirement plans, and nonprofit organizations.

United Capital Management of Kansas is a financial planning firm that provides financial leadership for fiscally prudent individuals. It offers sound advice on asset management, trust services, and insurance options. The synergies that emerge from this collaborative effort are what enable them to provide unparalleled service. The firm was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Salina, Kansas.

Unite Private Networks is a provider of high-bandwidth, fiber-based communications networks and services, catering to a diverse clientele that includes schools, governments, carriers, data centers, hospitals, and enterprise businesses across 21 states. Established in 1998 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, the company specializes in offering a range of services, including dark and lit fiber, private line, optical Ethernet, and Internet access. Additionally, Unite Private Networks provides customized solutions to ensure its clients benefit from reliable and uninterrupted network connectivity for their communication needs.

SafetyCulture develops a mobile-first operations platform that digitizes inspections, audits, and training processes. Its platform enables teams across various industries to capture data, manage assets, and report issues in real-time, promoting safety and operational excellence.

Black & Veatch is an employee-owned engineering, procurement, consulting and construction firm with a century-long history, founded in 1915 and based in Overland Park, Kansas. It delivers advisory, design and preconstruction, program management and infrastructure development services, leveraging international resources to support sustainable infrastructure and emerging technologies. The company serves healthcare, renewable energy, water, transportation and telecommunications sectors, with engagements in industrial and manufacturing, oil and gas, government, mining and housing, and power infrastructure projects. It focuses on integrated solutions across global markets, including cybersecurity and digital applications.

Founded in 1985, Prime Capital Investment Advisors is a family office offering wealth management services to high net worth individuals, families, and institutions. The firm employs a combination of fundamental, technical, charting, and cyclical analysis to create diversified investment portfolios.

Union Pacific is the largest railroad company in North America, operating over 32,000 route miles across 23 states west of Chicago. It specializes in transporting a wide range of goods including coal, industrial products, intermodal containers, agriculture goods, chemicals, fertilizers, and automotive goods. Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Union Pacific employs approximately 45,000 people.

Cartesian is a global professional services firm serving leaders in communications, digital media, and technology sectors. Established in 1990, it offers strategy consulting, execution support, managed solutions, and proprietary software tools like Ascertain®. With offices across Boston, Kansas City, London, New York, and Washington D.C., Cartesian provides expertise in analytics, data science, market assessment, mergers & acquisitions, and project management.

BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC is a construction company specializing in restoration, renovation, environmental, and roofing services across the United States. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Centennial, Colorado, the company has regional offices in multiple states, including Kansas, Georgia, California, Texas, and Arizona. BluSky offers a comprehensive range of services, including demolition, clean-up, fire damage restoration, water and flood mitigation, and environmental cleanup for hazardous materials. The company also provides specialized services such as electronics cleaning, data recovery, and document salvage. BluSky serves various sectors, including healthcare, education, assisted living, and multi-family projects, addressing the needs of both commercial and residential clients. With a focus on effective project assessment and coordination, BluSky is equipped to handle the complexities of restoration and renovation after natural and man-made disasters.

WireCo WorldGroup Inc. is a manufacturer of steel and synthetic ropes, specialty wires, and engineered products, serving a diverse range of industries, including industrial and infrastructure, oil and gas, fishing, mining, maritime, and construction. The company produces a variety of products such as drill lines, mining ropes, cranes, mooring lines, and electromechanical cables, as well as synthetic ropes, yarns, and tapes for applications in agriculture, geotextiles, and sports products. WireCo WorldGroup also offers high carbon wire and specialty wires for various end markets. The company's products are marketed under several well-known brands and are distributed globally through a network of sales professionals targeting distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and contractors. Founded in 1931 and based in Prairie Village, Kansas, WireCo WorldGroup was previously known as Wire Rope Corporation of America and adopted its current name in 2007. It operates as a subsidiary of WireCo WorldGroup US Holdings, Inc.

Capital7 is a Midwestern private equity firm founded in 2019. Based in Wichita, Kansas, the company focuses on building true partnerships with management teams across various sectors including consumer products, energy, finance, healthcare, manufacturing & engineering, real estate, and software & services.

DataLocker is a provider of encryption solutions specializing in data security for governments, military, and enterprises globally. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, the company offers a range of products designed to secure systems, media, external storage, and cloud services. Its technology includes ultra-portable data lockers, USB connection accessories, and cloud encryption gateways, all aimed at protecting data endpoints from cyberattacks. DataLocker's focus on combining convenience and usability with advanced security measures positions it as a leader in the field of data encryption.