The 2017 Battle of the Brands set to kick off
February 1, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
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
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
CPR alert! KC Fire adopting tech to notify bystanders of cardiac arrest
Embracing innovation and collaboration, the Kansas City Fire Department is expected to launch technology this month that is designed to notify residents trained in CPR when a person in their vicinity experiences sudden cardiac arrest and is awaiting first responders. Sudden cardiac arrest is responsible for about 350,000 deaths a year, according to the American…
KC’s Site 1001 eyes Raleigh as next smart city, opens innovation office
Following the firm’s $6 million raise earlier this month, Kansas City-based Site 1001 recently announced it selected the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, for a new office and innovation center. A technology spin out from Kansas City construction giant JE Dunn Construction, the firm said in a release that it plans to work with Raleigh’s…
Voting open: KC-based efforts vie for spots among SXSW 2018 panels
SXSW 2018 is still six months away, but members of the Kansas City startup community need supporters’ help now to land a coveted spot on the Austin-based conference’s panel lineup for March. At least three proposals with KC ties are among those being considered during SXSW’s PanelPicker Community Voting process, which runs through Aug. 25.…
OYO Fitness flexes muscles internationally after $1M in US crowdfunding
The pressure isn’t letting up for OYO Fitness. With nearly $1 million in sales via crowdfunding already banked, the Kansas City-based fitness firm hopes to add more muscle to its brand by expanding into Asia. After previous success on U.S.-based Kickstarter and Indiegogo, OYO (On Your Own) Fitness launched its collapsible, portable gym product last…