17 KC entrepreneurs selected to ‘ScaleUP!’
July 29, 2015 | Bobby Burch
A KCSourceLink program that connects high-achieving entrepreneurs with mentors and resources announced its latest brood of businesspeople.
ScaleUp! KC revealed Wednesday a group of 17 Kansas City-area entrepreneurs that hope to kick their businesses into higher gear. The diverse group includes entrepreneurs in such fields as software, transportation, fitness, food and more.
It is the second group that KCSourceLink has welcomed into the program, which aims to fill a gap in the area entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting firms that have significant revenues but require support and expertise to scale.
“We know this second cohort will continue to raise the bar, for their companies and for the Kansas City economy,” Maria Meyers, director of the UMKC Innovation Center and founder of KCSourceLink, said in a release. “With their talent and the education, support and connections they’ll get through the ScaleUP! program, there are no limits to what they’ll be able to accomplish. This is truly what it means to ‘grow your own’ when we talk about building sustainable entrepreneurship and increasing economic opportunities.”
To be accepted, the entrepreneurs must lead a company that’s at least two-years-old, drive annual sales between $150,000 and $750,000, have a market that can generate more than $1 million and determination to exceed that mark.
The second cohort group includes:
- Sharon Auck of Fresh Approach Cleaning Professionals
- Chris Bird of Project Blackbird
- Lori Bryan of Lynch Bryan Consulting
- Russell Criswell of Vulcan’s Forge
- Steve Crockett of Gray Swan Software
- Karl Dunivent of Choice Cabinet KC
- Steve Redmond of FEWDM Fitness
- Kris Fredrickson of TeeQuest Solutions
- Sheldon Gray of Peak Roofing
- Ben Kittrell, DoodleKit
- Sharon Kwon of Korean Restaurant Sobahn
- Patrice Manuel of P/Strada
- Vincent Rodriguez of Velo+ Maps Coffee Roasters
- Chris Rosburg of CR Promotions
- Natasha Shirey of Freedom Transportation
- Joseph Thomas of Joeycuts & 180V Barber|Salon
- Summor White of Sitting Comfortably Pet Care
Jill Meyer, program director of ScaleUP! KC, said the program’s first cohort has scored many successes after graduation. That group also included a variety of industries, including technology, wine, logistics and software. One company, El Padrino Soccer Nation, was named the Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the year.
“We were astounded by the talent, drive and early successes of our first cohort,” Meyer said in a release “We’ve already seen companies make early, significant strides with strategic plans, fresh branding, capital infusions, expansions, new employees.”
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Bevy of area businessmen are EY award finalists
Eight Kansas City-area businessmen are now finalists for a national entrepreneurship award. Ranging from techies to whiskey-makers, the regional finalists of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards recognize those “who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses.” Sponsored in part by the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, EY operates its award…
Fund me, KC: Garden Thorn wants to turn your thumb green
Startland News is continuing its segment to highlight area entrepreneurs’ efforts to accelerate their businesses. This is an opportunity for entrepreneurs — like The Handy Camel CEO Tom Gray — to share their stories to gain a little help from their supporters. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know…
Entrepreneurial foundation names local ‘startup champion’ as director
The Kansas City Startup Foundation’s year-long search for a new executive director ended right where it began. The foundation — whose mission is to unify Kansas City’s startup and entrepreneur community — recently hired Matthew Marcus as its executive director. Marcus, who most recently served as the foundation’s chairman, will begin his tenure in May. “It’s…
How wearables could change America’s pastime and Amazon’s big oops
In this week’s roundup of watercooler talk from the region’s startup hubs, we have the dish on Major League Baseball wearables, Amazon’s flub with expanding the digital divide and Chicago’s STEM workforce issues. Check out more in this series here. Mobile Commerce Press: Major League Baseball gives the nod to wearable technology No, this doesn’t…