Popular ScaleUp! KC program welcoming area applicants
September 9, 2015 | Bobby Burch
ScaleUp! Kansas City is now accepting applications from area entrepreneurs that hope to boost their businesses through mentorship and a strong network of peers.
The program, which is now in the midst of its second class, welcomes about 15 businesspeople that aim to push their firm’s revenue past $1 million annually. ScaleUp! KC connects entrepreneurs with mentors, peers and resources to grow their businesses.
Operated by the University of Missouri-Kansas City Innovation Center, the program’s third cohort will be accepting applications until Nov. 23 and will begin in January.
“We know it’s important to attract and recruit companies to Kansas City, but growing our own [and] helping our homegrown businesses scale is critical to strengthening our economy, creating jobs and improving lives,” said Maria Meyers, director of the UMKC Innovation Center. “ScaleUP! KC wraps vital resources around Kansas City entrepreneurs who already know success and want to build bigger, better businesses right here in Kansas City. We’re energized that so many entrepreneurs — 32 to date — are using the program to strengthen their businesses and to create economic impact.”
ScaleUp! KC director Jill Meyer said that the program has made a significant impact on the entrepreneurs’ businesses since its January 2015 start.
Jowler Creek Vineyard & Winery recently received a loan to add a 6,000 square-foot facility to triple its footprint and increase production by more than 300 percent. El Padrino Apparel and Soccer Nation in June won the Kansas City Kansas Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year award.
“It’s been quite impressive to see the progress these companies have made in such a short time,” Meyer said in a release.
To be accepted into the program, 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 in revenue and the determination to exceed that mark.
Click here to learn more about those now in the program.
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Brian Kearns: Get outside of your startup bubble
What’s so special about Silicon Valley, Hollywood or New York? I’ll give you a hint: bad barbecue. Just kidding. These are the places you go when you want to build the next “unicorn,” become a big star or bask in the bright lights of Broadway. The dream you often hear whispered backstage is, “I want…
Virgin Mobile takes to downtown skyline for HQ, plans to hire 100
About six months after announcing its move to Kansas City, Virgin Mobile has selected the site of its new headquarters. Virgin Mobile announced Wednesday that the firm signed a lease at One Kansas City Place at 1200 Main St. in downtown Kansas City. Virgin selected Kansas City as the location for its new headquarters…
New app Miles wants to soothe the pain of mileage tracking
The stability of a 9 – 5 corporate work day is fading away, as many entrepreneurs know. Many people are entering the “freelance workforce,” leaving the predictability of a regular paycheck behind. Although this arrangement brings freedoms, it may make things more complicated during tax season. This culture shift inspired serial entrepreneur and software developer…
Five Elms Capital leads $7.4M round in San Diego firm
Five Elms Capital is the lead investor in a $7.4 million finance round for a San Diego-based security firm. The Kansas City-based investment group is backing Trackforce, a SaaS provider of operations management tools for security guard operators. The company’s GuardTek software suite is used by more than 80,000 users at over 8,000 sites in…