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
SquareOffs public polling pilot with Oregon TV station could be a new niche
Opinions are constant, said Jeff Rohr, CEO of the Kansas City startup SquareOffs. As social media consumers look for new ways to voice a plethora of differing views, Rohr said he and his company have inked a major deal with News-Press and Gazette Co. (NPG), that could overhaul the public polling conducted by local news…
Limited edition: Champ System carries sports apparel from the field to Westport
When the choice came down to quick, easy money or grinding out his own brand, Maurice Woodard played the long game. His payoff comes Saturday with the grand opening of Champ System’s first brick-and-mortar ChampZone storefront in Westport. “You’re going to look different because there’s such a limited amount that we’ll release,” he said, noting…
Frank Keck: Benefits of developing a strong workplace culture
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary about workplace culture are the author’s alone. Check out a previous column by Frank Keck here. “We know that engaged managers and employees are much more likely to remain in an organization, leading to fewer hires from outside the organization. This results in: Lower wage costs for…
Downtown space levels up with ‘Novel Coworking’ name change
About seven months after arriving in Kansas City, one of the area’s newest coworking spaces has announced a name change. Chicago-based Level Office — which opened a studio in downtown Kansas City in February — announced Monday a rebrand to become Novel Coworking. The revamp more accurately represents the company’s mission to amplify its customers,…