VIDEO: Startup leaders talk KC Startup Foundation (plus bloopers)
August 10, 2017 | Bobby Burch and Meghan LeVota
So, what exactly is the Kansas City Startup Foundation?
For one, it is a foundation. Secondly, it involves startups. And last but not least, it serves Kansas City.
If you have ever found yourself confused about what exactly the Kansas City Startup Foundation does and which programs it offers, then the video below is for you.
Since the foundation’s launch in 2016, it has undergone many pivots, shifts and changes.
As you may have read in the news earlier this week, the foundation has merged with Center for Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development, a for-profit community building organization spearheaded by Adam Arredondo. A former board member at the Kansas City Startup foundation, Arredondo will now serve as the executive director for the nonprofit.
It became clear to Arredondo that both organizations shared the same vision: “to create the most connected startup ecosystem in the world.”
And as Matthew Marcus, the Kansas City Startup Foundation’s director of operations, began to realize, “volunteer efforts alone were only going to take the foundation so far. We needed more resources and more support to champion our efforts.”
Former co-founders of the now-defunct local events startup Local Ruckus, Arredondo and Marcus have been through a lot with each other. The pair also served as integral community builders cultivating the Kansas City Startup Village since about 2012.
In the video below, Arredondo and Marcus share their entrepreneurial journey and detail what to expect from the foundation in the future.
Bloopers
Featured Business
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Noelia Olivares had a vision of the sea in KC; her food truck-turned-restaurant serves up the surf
A new brick-and-mortar restaurant docked along one of Kansas City’s popular dining corridors is sailing into the blustery Midwest market this winter — with the young entrepreneur behind the counter offering her family’s fresh take on Mexican seafood cuisine. Mariscos Mr. Culichi is now open at 910 Southwest Boulevard (Taqueria Mexico long operated in the…
KC-based Jayhawk startups earn cut of $570K from Oread Angel Investors pitch event
LAWRENCE, Kansas — Four Kansas City-area startups with ties to the University of Kansas recently took home funding infusions from a newly formed network of Sunflower State investors — part of a rapidly advancing initiative led by KU Innovation Park. Members of the Oread Angel Investors network, which launched in September and now has about…
Meet 5 new startups bolstering KC innovation (now with a funding boost from Digital Sandbox)
Just-announced funding for a handful of fresh tech ventures is expected to help Kansas City founders who already are poised to make a significant impact in their industries, from health care to government to education. Digital Sandbox KC has accepted five new startups into its program. Each is expected to receive up to $20,000 in…
This $25 stack of ‘Touchdown Toast’ barely fits in its photo; Chiefs concessions debuts decadent playoff platter
Chiefs fans will have a “larger-than-life, breakfast-for-dinner” creation to celebrate the playoffs as Kansas City’s hometown team returns to Arrowhead Stadium later this month. “Touchdown Toast” — described as a loaf of bread that is first soaked in eggs, custard, milk and heavy cream, seared and then baked — is among the first specialty offerings…