Kauffman Foundation dishes $840K to 8 area accelerators
May 30, 2017 | Bobby Burch
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is hitting the gas on its support of area accelerator programs.
As part of the 2016 KC Accelerator Challenge, the Kauffman Foundation announced Tuesday that it’s awarded a total of $840,000 in grants to eight local venture accelerator programs.
“Our goal is to increase entrepreneurial success in Kansas City through high-quality support programs because we know from recent research that more startups lead to higher productivity, wage growth and quality of life for the entire community,” Kauffman Foundation CEO Wendy Guillies said in a release. “We believe the startups are empowered when they connect to established resources. The KC Accelerator Challenge directly supports organizations that are demonstrably increasing early-stage entrepreneurs’ success and accelerating business through growth.”
The foundation’s accelerator challenge aims to cultivate the area’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through accelerators that provide mentoring, access to resources and other services helping entrepreneurs scale their companies. Grant recipients are required to meet a funding match of Kauffman Foundation funds.
Victor Hwang, vice president of entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation, said that accelerators are key to a vibrant entrepreneurial community.
“Kansas City has many of the ingredients for a strong ecosystem for entrepreneurs,” Hwang said in a release. “The KC Accelerator Challenge is part of the Kauffman Foundation’s comprehensive approach to address barriers that too many of our entrepreneurs face in Kansas City and the Midwest.”
Area accelerator organizations receiving grants and sponsorships are:
- BetaBlox
- Enterprise Center of Johnson County’s Investment Bootcamp
- Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program’s Amp Up
- Sprint Accelerator
- Techstars Kansas City
- Project United Knowledge
- Rightfully Sewn
- ScaleUp! Kansas City
The challenge is part of the Kauffman Foundation’s Zero Barriers movement, which is a national campaign to address barriers that entrepreneurs face. Another program within Zero Barriers is Inclusion Open, a grant program that aims to enable champions of underrepresented entrepreneurs to expand their services to topple barriers.
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Kansas-vs-Missouri investment record tied to state support for innovation, experts say
The Sunflower State appears to set itself apart based on trends indicated by Startland’s 2018 list of Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies in KC. But does Kansas really have the competitive edge? Kansas companies are on average two years older than Missouri companies; they’ve raised more than four times as much capital than their Missouri counterparts;…
Think globally, invest locally: Are KC dollars worth more than outside capital?
Hometown capital is validating, said Darcy Howe, but it isn’t everything. Half of the firms in Startland’s 2018 list of Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies in Kansas City received 50 percent or more of their funding from KC investors — a promising indicator of local support that suggests to outside investors that a company is ready…
2018 Top VC-Backed Companies in Kansas City List
The Top Venture Capital-Backed Companies in Kansas City List recognizes the growing cohort of growth-stage, venture-backed companies in the Kansas City metro — further illustrating the impact of the countless efforts aimed at boosting entrepreneurship in the region and creating a productive dialogue. The list is expected to be updated and published annually. The 2018…
Made in KC cocktails: Plaza tasting room infuses local spirits into 6 unique concoctions
No rum behind the bar? Ozzie Mendoza Diaz has the recipe for six Made in KC cocktails that feature only spirits from Kansas City-area distillers. And while the metro freely pours gin, vodka and even tequila for the thirsty masses, rum isn’t on the locally made menu — a problem for daiquiri lovers, said Tyler…