Young KC entrepreneurs to learn from veteran innovators Fishback, Costello
October 27, 2016 | Meghan LeVota
Young entrepreneurs in the area are set to cultivate their skills with an upcoming event connecting them with successful Kansas City business leaders.
On Nov. 14, HatchPad Engage! Kansas City will host a panel, fireside chat and pitch competition geared toward entrepreneurial youth that are still in school or are recent graduates.
HatchPad CEO Heather Holst-Knudsen is excited for the opportunity to foster the next generation of entrepreneurs in Kansas City. She believes that one of the biggest gaps young people face in their careers is the size of their network.
“HatchPad will allow young entrepreneurs to meet and shake hands with like-minded peers, potential mentors, business partners and investors,” Holst-Knudsen said. “Speakers will include young founders as well as older ones who will share their lessons learned along the way, giving attendees an interesting mix of experience and knowledge.”
Here’s more about the event, which will be hosted at Think Big:
- Bo Fishback, CEO of Zaarly — Zaarly is an online marketplace that facilitates peer commerce — such as house cleaning, lawn mowing or plumbing. Fishback is also the previous vice president of entrepreneurship at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and formerly worked with the Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation.
- KC Mavericks Fireside chat — Brothers and young-adults Benton and Ryan Munyan co-founded Helio Foods in order to transform the way we eat. Moderated by Clayton Kohler, co-founder of Innovate Today, the Munyans will talk about their experience and why they opted into entrepreneurship.
- Chris Costello, CEO of Blooom — Blooom is an online401(k) finance management platform which targets young people. A lifelong Kansan, Costello and his firm have garnered recognition from LaunchKC, the Kauffman Foundation and clients around the nation.
- Fast pitch shootout — Qualified student entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to pitch their business to the audience in 90-seconds or less. The spectators will then evaluate the pitches using Pear Deck, a startup located in the Kansas City Startup Village. The top two pitches will receive gift cards — $250 and $100 respectively – as well as feedback and other rewards.
Featured Business
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
New collaboration will help OP startup 3D bioprint, scale its next-gen biotech solution
A Kansas biotech startup’s new manufacturing partner will boost efforts to automate and mass produce Ronawk’s headline-grabbing Bio-Block technology — a platform that has already accelerated medical advancements in tissue therapy. “Collaboration is critical for turning research advances into commercial therapies rapidly. The complexity and diversity of modalities is so big that nobody can do…
Museums shouldn’t feel like artifacts, KC firm says; Here’s how Multistudio uses analog experiences to build buzz
Multistudio doesn’t exclusively design museums, but the Westport-based architecture firm — along with Kansas City itself — certainly is having a museum moment, shared Robert Riccardi. The firm’s local portfolio includes a growing number of new-era museums, including The Rabbit Hole, the Laugh-O-gram animation studio, and the Satchel Paige House. They’re not your traditional museums…
Back2KC sets return date for its 2024 homecoming effort, scouting familiar faces to build an even stronger KC
When Back2KC returns this fall, the homegrown talent recruitment initiative will lean on unexpected connections to entice former residents — now out-of-town professionals — to give Kansas City’s recent Golden Age another look, organizers said. “The biggest win we can have is if these expats and ex-Kansas Citians come back, move their families here, move…
‘A piece of something bigger’: Makers help raise fabric of community with Union Station quilt project
A trio of Kansas City maker businesses wove together their talents this spring in support of a new, local health initiative — culminating in a towering expression of hope and healing at Union Station. Ampersand Design Studio, Tia Curtis Quilts, and Collective EX spent the past three weeks designing, fabricating, and displaying a colorful quilt…