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Innovation in Motion
Real impact. Real money. Real opportunities. | As the premier entrepreneurship club housed in Ross, I-MO offers students the opportunity to learn, pitch, and...
Innovation in Motion
Real impact. Real money. Real opportunities. | As the premier entrepreneurship club housed in Ross, I-MO offers students the opportunity to learn, pitch, and develop their ventures while receiving support from students and alumni. Real impact, real money, real opportunities.
General information
Firm type
Generalist
Year founded
1999
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Merriam
Corporate office
Merriam, KS, United States
Principals
Lee Harris
Managing Member
Lydia Kinkade
Managing Director
Bob Esrey
Founding Principal
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Innovation in Motion?
Investment decisions are led by Lee Harris, Managing Member and CEO of parent company Cohen-Esrey, alongside Managing Director Lydia Kinkade. The firm's member-investors—including livestock executive Lee Borck and animal-health philanthropist David Morris—participate in evaluating opportunities but final authority rests with the Managing Members.
How is Innovation in Motion related to Cohen-Esrey?
Innovation in Motion was founded as the venture investment arm of Cohen-Esrey, LLC, a Kansas City-based real estate development and property management firm. Cohen-Esrey principals, including CEO Lee Harris and Chairman Bob Esrey, seeded iiM and serve as its managing members, while the parent company's operating footprint in residential real estate provides a natural pipeline for proptech deal flow.
Does Innovation in Motion invest as a fund or through direct deals?
iiM operates on a deal-by-deal direct investment model rather than through a blind-pool fund structure. Members co-invest alongside the core vehicle on a per-transaction basis, which allows flexibility in check sizes and sector allocation without the pressure of a fund-deployment timeline.
What investment stages does Innovation in Motion target?
iiM focuses on early-stage companies, with an emphasis on seed-stage investments where its members' operational expertise can accelerate commercialization. The firm's real estate portfolio—which includes multifamily properties in Kansas City and Sun Prairie, Wisconsin—can serve as pilot sites for portfolio companies.
Which sectors does Innovation in Motion explicitly invest in?
The firm targets three verticals that align with Cohen-Esrey's operating businesses and its members' industry expertise: residential real estate technology, agricultural technology relevant to large-scale livestock operations, and life sciences, particularly innovations emerging from the Kansas City animal-health corridor.
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