The 2017 Battle of the Brands set to kick off

Along with dozens of participating companies around the metro area, KCSourceLink is gearing up for its 2017’s Battle of the Brands competition.

Battle of the Brands is a bracket-style competition that pits Kansas City businesses against each other — only one will reign as the “Aristo of Entrepreneurship.”

Its purpose? To shine a light on Kansas City businesses and cultivate entrepreneurial enthusiasm.

The criteria is simple. Eligible brands must have been in business for at least one year and have entrepreneurial roots in the metro. To establish the 64 participant businesses, public voting will take place Feb. 20 to 23. After that, the official battle begins March 6. For each official round — 32, 16, eight, four and two — polls open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 11:59 p.m. the final day.

Participating businesses will be divided into four different groups: second-stage, microenterprise, main street and innovation. KCSourceLink hopes that the categories will reflect the diversity of entrepreneurs that make up our city.

In 2016, over 70,000 Kansas Citians cast their votes in the battle. For information about applying, click here.

Here is the schedule:

• Round 1: “64 to the Floor” March 6-9
• Round 2: “Sturdy 32” March 13-16
• Round 3: “Scrappy 16” March 20-21
• Round 4: “Epic 8” March 23-24
• Round 5: “Final 4” March 28-29