Top 6 Kansas Startups to Watch in 2026
Kansas's business environment includes heavily funded companies in foundational sectors like logistics and finance. Transportation company Watco has secured $1.6 billion in funding, while financial services provider Security Benefit has raised $1.2 billion.
The ecosystem also contains major players in insurance and wealth management, including Zinnia with $300 million in funding.
Below is our list of 6 Kansas startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 6 Picks
Through its Banking as a Service platform, Lead Bank provides the core infrastructure for fintechs to build and launch new financial products. Their API-driven services cover everything from issuing cards and processing payments to opening new bank accounts.
| Year Founded | 1928 |
| Founders | Erica Khalili, Homam Maalouf, Jacqueline Reses, Ronak Vyas |
| Funding Amount | $170M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, Ribbit Capital, ICONIQ Capital, Coatue |
Trially has developed an AI-native platform to match, engage, and enroll patients in clinical trials at breakthrough speed. Their system finds participants with roughly 95% accuracy, helping researchers accelerate the entire enrollment process.
| Year Founded | 2023 |
| Founders | Kyle McAllister, Ramon Prieto, Trevor Welch |
| Funding Amount | $4.7M |
| Startup Size | Founding Team (1-10) |
| Last Funding Status | Seed |
| Top Investors | Gaingels, Flyover Capital, Blu Venture Investors, Alpaca, Redbud VC |
Zinnia builds an open insurance platform designed to modernize the life and annuity industry. Their end-to-end software solutions help simplify everything from new policy applications to long-term administration.
| Year Founded | 2005 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | $300M |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Debt Financing |
| Top Investors | Vista Equity Partners |
ShotTracker makes sensor-based technology that automatically captures basketball statistics in real time. Their system delivers advanced analytics and performance insights to teams and broadcasters without any manual data entry.
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Bruce Ianni, Davyeon Ross |
| Funding Amount | $33.8M |
| Startup Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Greycroft, VITALIZE Venture Capital, KCRise Fund, SeventySix Capital, Sovereign’s Capital |
PayIt builds a customer experience platform that simplifies how people interact with state and local government services. The company's core product integrates various civic payments, allowing residents to handle everything from utility bills to DMV fees in one place.
| Year Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | John Thomson, Michael Plunkett |
| Funding Amount | $194.5M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Insight Partners, KCRise Fund, Weatherford Capital, Advantage Capital, Macquarie Capital |
Modern Wealth Management operates as an investment advisory firm that integrates financial, estate, and tax planning. They specialize in risk management and building long-term wealth strategies for their clients.
| Year Founded | 1996 |
| Founders | Gary Roth, Jason Gordo, Mike Capelle |
| Funding Amount | $200M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Crestview Partners |
