Kauffman Foundation announces winner of 1 in a Million contest
November 15, 2016 | Bobby Burch
Kansas City’s reign atop the national 1 in a Million contest has ended.
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation announced Wednesday that Anchoraged-based Pandere Shoes won the contest, beating out one local finalist and winning $25,000 in the process. The Grooming Project was the sole Kansas City firm left in the competition, which challenges 1 Million Cups presenters from around the U.S. to compete for a $25,000 prize.
Pandere Shoes was founded by Laura Oden, Celia Crossett and Ayla Rogers.
To compete in 1 in a Million, eligible startups had to submit a 60-second video pitch for the prize. Kansas City-based financial tech startup Blooom took home the first prize last year, earning Kansas City bragging rights in the inaugural contest.
The Grooming Project is a nonprofit that teaches at-risk mothers the trade of dog grooming to provide them with an opportunity for a living wage. Founder Natasha Kirsch started the enterprise because she believes that a living wage does more than provide people with money — she wants to elevate and empower women from situations of poverty, crime or abuse.
For reaching the top five of the competition, the company will receive a $5,000 cash prize. To learn more about the Grooming Project, check out Startland’s feature on the firm.
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC STEM Alliance, UMKC earn $2.5M grant
A multi-million dollar grant will aim to boost diversity in Kansas City’s healthcare workforce. KC STEM Alliance and the UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies recently received a $2.5 million grant. The funds will create KC HealthTracks to introduce more low-income and minority students to healthcare careers. KC STEM Alliance works to bolster area science,…
WonderWe acquires KC startup VolunteerMark
Andrew Stanley developed VolunteerMark to work with non-profit companies that align with his Christian faith. Lucky for Stanley and his business partner, they met someone who not only shared that passion, but also had the means to help them make it bigger. WonderWe, a software provider to nonprofits, acquired VolunteerMark and its technology to schedule…
HEMP inducts 13 new entrepreneurs for 2015
Thirteen entrepreneurs were named to the 2015 Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program class this week. The program matches entrepreneurs with mentors, inspired by Barnett Helzberg Jr., the former owner and president of Helzberg Diamonds, who developed a 23-year-old mentoring relationship with Ewing Kauffman. “The goal of our program is to promote entrepreneurial success to positively impact…
(S)heStarts: How demographics affect views of your pitch
Welcome to our new series exploring news and views on men, women, start-ups and the entrepreneurial experience. In July of 2015, Startland News collaborated with WhiteSpace Consulting to conduct a whiteboard conversation with women entrepreneurs in the Kansas City region. Women entrepreneurs shared their perceptions about launching and leading companies, and identified topics for ongoing…