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
From the pitch to the Plaza: KC Current flipping the switch on new retail shop in iconic shopping district
Add team gear to the holiday shopping list this weekend. The Kansas City Current is kicking off a new permanent retail shop on the Country Club Plaza — just in time for the 2025 Plaza Lighting Ceremony. The Current Shop is set to open Wednesday, Nov. 26, in the former Starbucks building at 302 Nichols…
Kauffman wraps three fast-paced rounds of capacity building: Meet the year’s final grantees
A revised strategy to help nonprofit organizations strengthen their internal effectiveness and long-term stability — while still aligning with the Kauffman Foundation’s focus areas — next must showcase outcomes, said Allison Greenwood Bajracharya, announcing a final round of capacity building grant winners for 2025. Built with intentional versatility, capacity building grants are meant to meet…
Five stocking stuffer gift ideas that brew support for women-owned KC businesses
Editor’s note: The following holiday feature is presented by nbkc bank, where small businesses find big support Shopping with intention this season is just one way Kansas City gift-givers can squeeze local impact into each nook and cranny of those holiday stockings, said Melissa Eggleston, highlighting a sleigh-ful of women-owned businesses shoppers should bank on…
Their brands survived legal bruises; here’s what still keeps these founders up at night
A brand worth building is worth safeguarding, said Bo Nelson, joining a chorus of battle-tested entrepreneurs at GEWKC who encouraged emerging business owners to trademark their own peace of mind early by locking down intellectual property — like designs, names and unique processes — from the start. “If you do have something that you genuinely,…