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
Family-owned US Toy sells to Chicago-based novelty retailer; new owner pledges continued innovation
The strategic acquisition of a 70-year-old Grandview company that has become a household name for its novelty toys is expected to fuel its new owner’s ability to meet the evolving needs of modern-day customers. Chicago-based Windy City Novelties, Inc. announced the deal with US Toy this week, though financial details were not disclosed. Founded in…
Financier of the Year: Worlds’ biggest financial leaders applaud C2FO for job-creating capital access
C2FO would’ve been profitable in the US alone, CEO says; how solving for global needs made it an even stronger fintech leader The impact of one Kansas City-built fintech company is being felt far beyond the borders of the U.S., said Sandy Kemper, detailing how C2FO’s strategy to go global is creating hundreds of thousands…
Nelson-Atkins plans $170M new expansion, with an international contest to design ‘a museum for all’
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is launching an ambitious expansion project that will transform its Midtown campus with a dynamic, open…
Storytailor pivots its AI-infused storytelling tech into therapy tool to combat childhood traumas
Kansas City-built Storytailor has a new pitch for parents facing a world of screen time: using its tech platform as a key resource for children’s mental health via therapeutic storytelling. “As adults, we often turn to comedy, satire, or metaphorical fiction to process our emotions,” shared JQ Sirls, founder and CEO of Storytailor. “Children do…