Kansas City to host national student entrepreneur competition
February 23, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
Kansas City will soon host a national competition for student entrepreneurs.
Set for March 6 and 7 at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards will bring its top 25 national finalists to Kansas City.
To qualify, student entrepreneurs must be the primary operator of a business less than six years old and must be enrolled as an undergraduate at a U.S. university or college.
Since 1998, GSEA — a program of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization — has honored students who run their own businesses while attending a university full time. Since the program’s inception, these students have created thousands of jobs and earned millions of dollars in revenue.
The winner of the competition will represent the United States in the GSEA Global Finals in Frankfurt, Germany, this April. They will compete against 50 of the world’s top student entrepreneurs and vie for a $400,000 prize and donated business services.

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
This Midtown pizza shop sliced through challenges, topping years of popup work with grand opening
Orange By: Devoured — the flagship pizza shop from Jhy Coulter — is finally ready for the public, she said, after enduring years of pop-ups to keep the dream alive, renovations, and the closure of business lending platform Mainvest that took founders by surprise. “I am tired — I’m exhausted,” Coulter said with a laugh,…
Exited founders: Face the tough conversations first; avoid a messy post-honeymoon breakup
Preparing for an exit begins with co-founder alignment at the startup’s launch, three veteran Kansas City founders agreed. “You are getting married to your founders,” explained Tony Caudill, who co-founded two tech startups with his best friend — including aware3, which was acquired in 2018 by Nelnet. “Just like when you find your mate of…
Hy-Vee’s small biz competition sends Midwest entrepreneurs racing for $50K checkout; Here are the winners
BaKIT Box, a Chicago-based subscription service offering baking kits inspired by diverse global cuisines, took home the $30,000 grand prize at the 2024 Hy-Vee OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit. Shelley Gupta, the founder and CEO of BaKIT Box, was thrilled to receive the grand prize, she said. “It feels incredible,” Gupta said. “I flew here last…
How city dollars could help crime victims get back to business; Mayor unveils new fund to support struggling entrepreneurs
A newly introduced fund aimed at helping KCMO small businesses recover from and prevent property crimes — offering grants up to $3,000 for damage repairs and $5,000 for security upgrades — is a step in the right direction, said Joe Giammanco, whose pizza shop was recently hit by criminals. “Programs like this are going to…
